Ethics of helping a minor get vaccinated?

Post date: 2021-07-22 20:44:39

I (double vaxxed) will shortly be flying cross-country to visit family, some of whom aren't vaxxed. Because Reasons, I believe my 13yo nephew is planning to ask me to help him get vaxxed because his parents won't. Help?

I'm so confused about the ethics of this situation. Can you help me think it through? Some data points:
-- This is in Hawaii, an all-day plane trip from where I live.
-- I haven't been able to tell if the J&J vaccine is available in this area right now. And I definitely can't stay there long enough to be there for Nephew to get 2 doses.
-- If it matters, the parents are left-wing anti-vaxxers. More like "we don't put foreign substances in our pure bodies" than "Soros wants to inject me with 5G."
-- Their children (the others are all under 12 so ineligible for the vaccine right now) have never had any vaccinations at all. Mom (my sibling) got the usual vaccinations growing up. Dad never had any.
-- I don't massively care about potentially blowing up my relationship with Mom and Dad. I do care a lot about potentially blowing up the relationship between Nephew and his parents, at a time when he is young enough to still have to reside in their household for many years to come. Especially because I live so far away that I can't meaningfully be there to assist him on any kind of regular basis.
-- I don't massively care about filling out forms and lying by saying I'm the parent. Perhaps I should care more about this?

I feel like the correct thing to do is to say to Nephew, "I can't do this for you but I can be with you while we have a convo with Mom and Dad and explain why you want to be vaccinated." But also...I believe in science. I have watched friends get Covid. I have watched one friend of mine come thisclose to dying of Covid.

Is there any possible way that taking this kid for his first vaccine would be the correct thing to do?

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