A major shift in federal policy is emerging as HHS moves to strengthen parental rights, religious exemptions, and informed consent in children’s medical decisions. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Office of Civil Rights is investigating reports of a child with a religious exemption being vaccinated without parental consent. At the same time, several states are pushing bills that would allow minors to be vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge, highlighting a broader medical-system struggle—from childhood shots to psychiatric drugs for veterans—over consent, transparency, and personal autonomy.