Posts shared on social media contend that the children of unmarried parents could receive mandated vaccinations from the government due to the way family is defined in the Irish Constitution. This is allegedly proved in conjunction with a Supreme Court ruling in 2012 which concerned parents disagreeing over childhood vaccinations. In reality, this is a misrepresentation of both the court case (which actually occurred in 2013) and the Constitution. Article 42A of the constitution protects the rights of all children and the marriage status of their parents is irrelevant. The Journal has debunked this claim and explains in detail the 2013 Supreme Court case and the relevant sections of the Constitution.