By MADISON HIRNEISEN
THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – California teens would be able to get vaccinated without parental consent under a new bill proposed by state lawmakers on Thursday.
A group of California legislators filed the measure late Thursday. If enacted, it would allow young people ages 12 and older to get vaccinated without parental consent. Under existing law, individuals under age 18 must obtain parental consent to be vaccinated unless the vaccine is specifically to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
The law, outlined in Senate Bill 866, would apply to all vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration and meet all recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The change would include vaccines approved under emergency use.
Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced the bill Thursday along with several other Democratic lawmakers to expand access to kids who want to be vaccinated but are “prevented from doing so due to their parents’ political views or inability to find the time.”
“Giving young people the autonomy to receive life-saving vaccines, regardless of their parents’ beliefs or work schedules, is essential for their physical and mental health,” Sen. Wiener said in a statement. “COVID-19 is a deadly virus for the unvaccinated, and it’s unconscionable for teens to be blocked from the vaccine because a parent either refuses or cannot take their child to a vaccination site.”
Legislators supporting this bill noted that it would have implications outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to a rise in measles cases in 2019 that occurred among mostly unvaccinated individuals. According to CDC data, more than 1,200 people contracted Measles in the U.S. in 2019, the most the country has seen since 1992.
By allowing teens to get vaccinated without parental consent, medical professionals said it would help increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among 12-to-17-year-olds. According to the latest data from the California Department of Public Health, nearly 64% of teens ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, with another 8% partially vaccinated.
As of Jan. 19, the California Department of Public Health reports 1,019,177 COVID-19 infections among people aged 5-17. The department attributes 31 deaths to the virus in that age group.
“We know how important vaccines are for protecting the health of teens and their families and communities,” San Francisco Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said in a statement. “Our San Francisco teens have some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state and nation with more than 90% fully vaccinated, and they are now getting boosted. This age group has been a critical part of our response to ending the pandemic.”
SB 866 is supported by several advocacy groups, including ProtectUS, Teens for Vaccines, GenUP and MAX the Vax. In a statement, Crystal Strait, board chair of ProtectUS, called the bill a “natural extension” of existing laws to prevent the spread of disease.
“Teens have the right to protect themselves from preventable death and disability. Under existing California law, minors 12 and older may independently consent to treatment for infectious diseases,” Ms. Strait said. “It’s just common sense that they should be able to consent to vaccines that will prevent serious illness in the first place.”
According to a release from Sen. Wiener’s office, several states already allow minors to access vaccines without parental consent. They include Alabama, South Carolina, Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island.
