Brazil bill proposes amnesty for Covid-19 vaccination fines

A bill currently under review in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies proposes an amnesty for fines imposed on parents and guardians who failed to vaccinate children against Covid-19.

Proposed by Deputy Julia Zanatta, Bill 1978/26 seeks to forgive financial penalties resulting from non-compliance with child immunization. The author argues that these sanctions disproportionately affect families by diverting essential resources away from food, health, and education. The proposed amnesty would cover penalties issued from March 11, 2020, the date the WHO declared the pandemic, until the law's publication, including the cancellation of active debt registrations and tax executions.

These fines stem from a 2025 Superior Court of Justice (STJ) decision, which established that parents refusing to vaccinate children without medical justification could face penalties ranging from 3 to 20 minimum wages. This ruling aligned with the Supreme Federal Court's stance on the constitutionality of mandatory vaccination for children included in the National Immunization Program.