Father seeks court order for daughter to get Covid-19 vaccination after ex-wife 'strongly opposed' jab

[ASEAN NOW News]

 

SINGAPORE — A man has filed a court application to pave the way for his 16-year-old daughter to get the Covid-19 vaccination, after his ex-wife, who shares joint custody of the teen, "strongly opposed" the jab.

 

The parties involved in the case cannot be named as the child is a minor.

 

According to the originating summons, the man is seeking a court order to allow his daughter to be vaccinated, and for his ex-wife to bear the cost of his application.

 

In Family Justice Court documents seen by CNA, the man and the defendant were married in 2003 in Singapore. The man is a Singapore permanent resident, and his ex-wife is a Singaporean according to todayonline.com.

 

He applied for a divorce in 2015 after living apart from his spouse for three years, and the couple were granted joint custody of their daughter under the terms of the interim judgment.

 

He has since remarried.

 

In the man's affidavit, he wrote that there had been no issues with custody, care, and control until recently.

 

"I am vaccinated and I wish for (my daughter) to be vaccinated too," he wrote. "This is especially after the Government has announced the current policy of living with the virus which is accompanied by the recent hike in the number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore."

 

Most of her classmates have also been vaccinated against Covid-19, wrote the man in his affidavit.

 

He said he believed it would be in his daughter's best interest to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but that his ex-wife "is strongly opposed" to this.

 

According to him, the pair have had many discussions on the issue but have not been able to resolve the matter amicably.

 

"I am left with no alternative but to apply to this honourable court to vary the consent order to allow me to be allowed to make a decision on having (my daughter) vaccinated," he wrote.

 

Lawyer Mr Chung Ting Fai represent the man.

 

Letter by the Daughter

 

Attached with the affidavit was a letter by the man's daughter, where she expressed her desire to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

 

"Due to the increased number of community cases in recent weeks, I have become more concerned for my health and that of those around me," she wrote.

 

"I want to immunise myself against the virus so even in the case that I get it, my chances of becoming seriously ill are inhibited."

 

She also added some personal motivations for getting the vaccine, such as her hopes to travel, to have a social life and to dine out and catch a movie.

 

As of Wednesday morning (Oct 6), the teen's mother has not yet responded to the court action.

 

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