Young people in California could soon have more autonomy to get the COVID-19 shot and other vaccinations without parental consent, a move State. Sen Scott Wiener says will give minors a voice in their own health care and help them bypass vaccine hesitancy in their families.
On Friday, Wiener introduced Senate Bill 866, the Teens Choose Vaccines Act, to give minors ages 12-17 the ability to get the shots, even when their parents do not agree, and to ultimately reduce the transmission of the virus in the state. Currently, only Washington, D.C., has a lower age limit — 11 years — for non-parental consent.
The FDA granted emergency authorization allowing 16-17 year olds to get vaccinated in December 2020 and for 12-15 year olds on May 10 last year. Yet more than 890,000 kids, or 28%, of 12-17 year olds in the state are not yet vaccinated, according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard late Friday.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our communities, the crisis of ‘anti-vax’ parents is only getting worse,” said Arin Parsa, 14, a San Jose student and founder of Teens for Vaccines who joined the senator and other teens Friday on the steps of Everett Middle School in San Francisco. “Kids are potentially missing school, friends and family. COVID is taking away their happiness and futures. We cannot sit on the sidelines.”
Although the debate over the COVID-19 vaccine is taking center stage, the bill would also allow teens 12-17 to get all vaccinations — including for measles — without their parents’ permission.
Wiener said he is anticipating backlash to the bill from anti-vaccine groups and others advocating for parental rights.
“We want parents involved in the health and care of their kids,” he said, but insisted 12-to-17 year olds should have the option to choose vaccines that the FDA has deemed safe and effective and recommended by the CDC.
Some parents with personal beliefs against the COVID-19 vaccine are strongly opposed to the proposed legislation, raising concerns about the risks of rare side effects such as heart inflammation seen mostly in boys and young men.
Dan McDunn, a Berkeley resident, has kids at Berkeley High and Willard Middle School who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. He called Wiener’s bill “absolutely insane” and said it takes away his parental rights over his children’s health.
“That’s my job. The bill is a byproduct of the COVID-19 vaccine, and people’s hesitance to participate in an experimental program,” he said. “They’re not getting the numbers they want, so they’ve taken the most stringent measures.”
McDunn said his kids don’t want the COVID-19 vaccine either, but he said they do support frequent testing and will get tested regularly for the virus at Berkeley schools.
Wiener said he’s heard many stories of 13 year olds trying to convince their parents to let them get the vaccine but said “they shouldn’t have to persuade them.” He said that California already allows teens to make other health decisions on their own, and other states allow kids to get the vaccine without permission or persuasion.
California teens already can access the HPV vaccine and reproductive health, abortion, birth control and other health services without consent from a parent or guardian. In addition to Washington, D.C., Alabama, South Carolina, Oregon, and Rhode Island already allow minors to receive vaccines — some including COVID-19 — without parental consent.
Wiener said it’s time for California to follow those other states. He was joined by local health officials and a group of teenagers from pro-vaccine student-led advocacy groups Teens for Vaccines, GenUP and MAX the Vax.
The teens emphasized how the autonomy to get the COVID-19 vaccine will help students protect themselves and participate in extracurricular activities such as school sports, music programs and other clubs.
The bill also would help students whose parents aren’t opposed to vaccines but are just too busy, the teens said. Parsa said many teens have parents who have two jobs and can’t easily access vaccines for their kids. Some schools in the Bay Area are offering vaccines at various centers and schools, but teens still need authorization from a parent or guardian to receive one.
With the exception of Oakland and West Contra Costa school districts, which are requiring all students to be vaccinated for COVID by next month, most schools in California haven’t taken that step. Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the state will mandate COVID vaccines for students once they are fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people younger than 16. But parents can still bypass that mandate by claiming a personal belief exemption.
In San Francisco, young people have some of the highest vaccination rates in the state and across the nation. More than 90% are fully vaccinated, Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco Director of Health, said in a news release Friday.
Colfax hopes to increase that number with Wiener’s bill, which is co-authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks.
“At this critical moment in our collective efforts to curb COVID,” Wicks wrote in a news release, “it’s unacceptable for this lifesaving vaccine to be excluded from the decisions California teens are already empowered to make about their bodies, their health, and their future.”
