A French couple appeared in court Thursday for refusing to vaccinate their children against diphtheria, tetanus and polio - jabs which are compulsory under French law, reports FRANCE 24.
Samia and Marc Larère, from Auxerre in the Burgundy region in central France, are accused of deliberately mistreating their two children, aged three and 15 months.
They face a fine of 30,000 euros and up to two years in jail for refusing to allow their children to be inoculated.
"I'm ready to make a lot of sacrifices in order not to play Russian roulette with my children’s health," Marc Larère told France Info radio before Thursday's hearing.
The Larère parents’ gripe is not the vaccines themselves, but the additives in the jabs that improve their stability and performance, such as aluminium salts.
"This couple are not anti-vaccinations and they don't belong to a pressure group or sect," said their lawyer Emmanuel Ludot. "They are OK with vaccinations, but they are not OK with additives."
"I will do everything possible to have their case referred to the constitutional court to see if these vaccines must really be imposed on children," he added.
All French children are obliged to be inoculated against diphtheria, tetanus and polio (DTP). Until 2007, they were also required to be vaccinated against tuberculosis (BCG).
Beyond simply breaking the law, the Larères also risk their children being barred from education in France.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.