British mothers lose appeal against MMR

Two British mothers, fighting a ruling which forces them to have their daughters given the controversial MMR vaccination, have…

Two British mothers, fighting a ruling which forces them to have their daughters given the controversial MMR vaccination, have lost their court appeal.

Britain's High Court had ruled that the two girls should be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) in accordance with the wishes of their fathers, who are not married to the mothers.

The MMR jab has been clouded in controversy since a medical study published in 1998 raised fears about the safety of the triple vaccine and a link to autism or bowel disease.

An independent review of medical research into the vaccine found no evidence of a link and the British government insists it is safe.

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In a landmark decision in June, Justice Christopher Sumner agreed with the girls' fathers that it would be in their daughters' best interests for them to be immunised.

The mothers, who oppose the MMR vaccination, took the case to the Court of Appeal but three of the country's top judges upheld the original ruling this morning. Both girls, aged four and 10, live with their mothers.