The measure, proposed by a Democratic state senator to speed up the vaccination of adolescents against Covid-19, would also apply to other vaccines.
Will young Californians over the age of 12 soon be able to choose themselves to be vaccinated against Covid-19, without the approval of their parents? This is what the Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener wants through a bill, reports the Los Angeles Times.
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The text, written as part of a vaccine task force, aims to increase vaccination rates and combat misinformation in California. If the vaccine against Covid-19 is concerned by the proposed law, it is not the only one. the Los Angeles Times cites flu, measles and chickenpox vaccines. More broadly, the measure would apply to “any vaccine approved by US health authorities and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US equivalent of Santé Publique France)“, specifies the Californian daily.
“Empowering Teenagers”
“It’s about empowering teens to make decisions about their own health and safety“, explained Scott Wiener. “Nearly a million Californian teenagers are not vaccinated, and for many of them, it is either because their parents refuse to have them vaccinated, or because they have not yet had the time to do it“, added the Senator, questioned by the Los Angeles Times.
If there is a Californian law of obligation to vaccinate to study in a school, this one is, in fact, not very restrictive. Parents can indeed cite theirpersonal beliefsto escape it.
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Some US jurisdictions already allow teenagers to opt out of parental consent to get vaccinated. In Washington and Philadelphia, this is the case from the age of 11, while you have to wait until you are 14 in Alabama. If Scott Wiener’s bill is accepted and signed by the governor of California, it could come into effect in January 2023.