“The doctor-patient relationship should be based on respect for integrity, free choice, and the dignity of the individual. Man’s manipulation is unacceptable even for the sake of the most good purposes ”[3]. ... It is worth recalling that the recognition in the legal systems of various countries of the need for informed voluntary consent to medical intervention and the right to refuse it was a consequence of the condemnation of Nazi crimes in the Nuremberg trial, including compulsory medical manipulations and experiments they carried out on people. Since then, respect for these ethical and legal principles has become a familiar feature of every normal society. ... It is well known that, along with the risk of infectious diseases, there is also a risk of serious complications — even death — as a result of prophylactic vaccination. In such a situation, it is the patient himself who should make the choice. In the case of a child, the parents should make their choice in each particular case, taking into account the advice and recommendations of specialists, as well as other information. No one has the right to make this choice for them, even if guided by the child’s own well-informed understanding. ... 1. Parents should retain the right to make informed decisions regarding the health of their children, including preventive vaccinations, without being subjected to any pressure. Persecution of parents for the use of this right is unacceptable. 2. Parents should not be compelled in any way to state the reasons on which their choices are based. The fact of medical intervention or refusal of it should remain a medical secret protected by law. 3. The right of children to education, including the possibility of studying in educational institutions, should not be limited because their parents refused to carry out preventive vaccinations for them, except in cases where there is the occurrence of mass infectious diseases or the immediate threat of epidemics. 4. Parents should be able to make their own decisions, independently receiving and evaluating various information, including critical information. Restricting the distribution of critical information affecting vaccine prevention will not lead to increased parental confidence in professionals and the health care system. Such trust will be facilitated only by honest and open provision of parents with complete, verified and reliable information, including information about the risks associated with vaccination or specific vaccinations. https://russia-insider.com/en/russian-orthodox-church-officially-opposes-com... https://russian-faith.com/news/russian-orthodox-church-officially-opposes-co...