Federal Vaccine Law Trumps D.C. in Letting Minors Bypass Parents

Washington, D.C., is blocked from enforcing a law allowing “mature” minors who are 11 or older to receive a Covid-19 or other vaccine without their parents’ knowledge or consent, because the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act likely supersedes it, a federal court said.

The NCVIA imposes duties on health-care providers who administer vaccines that contradict the duties placed on them by the D.C. law, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said. The federal law thus likely takes precedence under the theory of “conflict preemption,” the court said.

The city requires certain vaccinations for all school children. Exemptions ...