By Alanna Durkin, The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine's highest court says that the state can have a child in its custody vaccinated over the parent's objections.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court this week upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the state's Department of Health and Human Services to approve vaccinations for a 1-year-old against the mother's wishes.
Neither the mother nor the child was identified in the case.
The court said that the child had been taken into temporary state custody because of concerns that the mother's continued relationship with the father put the child's safety at risk.
It said that the department has the right to make medical decisions about a child in its custody, including those related to vaccinations.
One justice dissented, saying that the decision effectively terminates the mother's parental rights.