California teenagers should have the right to protect their health by getting approved vaccines without parental consent or knowledge.
But in many cases, they don’t. State law allows minors ages 12 and up consent to various reproductive and preventive health treatments, including abortions, vaccines for HPV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and mental health care. But they are not allowed to consent to nearly all other vaccines, including for COVID-19, putting them at personal risk and adding another barrier to preventing disease in the community.
Senate Bill 866 would change that by allowing minors 15 and older to receive a vaccine that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without needing the consent of a parent or guardian.
Parents have the right to oversee most of their children’s health care. But as misinformation about vaccines has spread in recent years, they don’t always act in their children’s best interest. False information social media coverage has falsely linked vaccines to autism, infertility and even death.
This bill could also benefit teenagers whose parents may believe in the safety of vaccines but are too busy working to find time to get a shot or face language barriers to vaccinating themselves and their children . Health officials say teenagers often visit clinics seeking vaccinations but are turned away unless they can show parental consent.
Denying minors the right to defend themselves also increases the risks for viral outbreaks — and not just COVID-19. Last week, health authorities announced that they had poliomyelitis discovered in New York sewage after a man contracted the virus last month, leaving him paralyzed. A senior official at the CDC suggested there may be hundreds of cases that are already circulating.
The re-emergence of diseases once considered largely eradicated in the US, such as polio and measles, should come as no surprise given the rise in vaccine hesitancy fueled by the spread of vaccine misinformation. And climate change increases the risk of new diseases emerging. As global temperatures rise, according to Johns Hopkins public health researcher Gigi Gronvall, insects and animals are leaving their native habitats in search of better climates, which increases the risk of disease transmission.
Some opponents of SB 866, including the California Health Advocacy Coalition, argue that the law limits parents’ rights. They are not wrong. The bill limits parents’ rights to deny their children access to safe and life-saving immunizations. The health of teenagers old enough to require an immunization should outweigh the beliefs of misinformed parents. North Carolina, Oregon and Alabama have allowed minors to receive FDA-approved vaccines without parental consent for years.
No part of this bill would allow minors to walk into a pharmacy and get a vaccine without being screened for allergies, pre-existing or current conditions and medical history, as some opponents of the bill have claimed. for CDC guidelinesvaccines must be administered by licensed health professionals.
Teenagers in California are now allowed to make vital medical choices for themselves. Getting a safe and approved vaccine should be one of those choices available to them. Lawmakers have until Aug. 31 to pass SB 866. They must do so.
