Abstract

In this article I analyze the plausibility of applying the rule and exemption approach to the case of exemption from compulsory vaccinations. Building on Italian and international cases, I discuss how exemptions have been admitted within current legal systems. Drawing on these cases, in this article I analyze the acceptability of different normative grounds for exemptions: fear of damages to children's health, naturalistic life-style, autonomy in children's care, religious beliefs. Besides arguing that only some of these arguments can actually ground an exemption, I show how, unlike other cases of exemptions from the law, in the case of compulsory vaccinations the admissibility of exemptions cannot be justified a priori and depends on the lack of risks for public health.