Riyadh: A Saudi Arabian woman has sued her husband for refusing to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, local media reported on Wednesday.
In a lawsuit, the woman said that the father is depriving her children of education and normal life.
According to the Arabic daily Al-Rai, Faisal bin Turki Gharbi, the woman’s lawyer, said: “What the guardian did falls under Article 2 of the child protection law, and cases of neglect that require accountability.”
The lawyer further stated that even in the case of divorced parents, whether the child is vaccinated or not is a joint legal custody decision.
According to the law, if parents cannot reach agreements in these scenarios, the family court, which has jurisdiction over that child, must make the decision.
The court will decide whether a child will be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on best-interest factors. In essence, the court will consider the facts of each case, such as each parent’s reasons for or against vaccination, specific health risks in the family, school, or activity requirements, and most importantly, the opinion of a medical expert.