California lawmaker raises minimum age on bill for child vaccines without parental consent
A California bill allowing minors to get vaccines without parents’ consent would apply only to teens 15 and older after a state senator amended the measure to raise the minimum age.
Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, opted to change the age threshold for Senate Bill 866 from 12 to 15 after receiving feedback from other lawmakers, he said.
SB 866 would allow minors to receive all vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) without parental sign-off. Existing law allows children and teens 12 and older to get vaccines for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis B — both sexually transmitted diseases — without seeking permission from parents.
Wiener’s bill is currently on the Assembly floor, and Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, on Thursday requested the age change on Wiener’s behalf. Members voted 33-21 to adopt the amendment.
Following the floor session, Wiener said that he amended the bill after discussions with assemblymembers.
“I think there’s a high comfort level with that age,” he said. “I think you have to listen to your colleagues.”
Wiener also noted the amended bill would still “sweep in almost all of high school,” as it would still include most teens.
He said he originally wanted 12 as the minimum age because it would align the bill with existing laws allowing some vaccines for children and teens that young. But Wiener acknowledged most minors who would seek out vaccines on their own would likely be closer to 15.
“I’ve yet to author a really hard, controversial bill where we didn’t have to amend,” Wiener said.
Lawmaker concerns with SB 866
Republicans, and even some Democrats, have pushed back against SB 866, saying it robs parents of their right to make medical decisions for their children.
“The state over the years has tried to give 17-year-olds the right to vote, and 12-year-olds the right to make medical decisions, but we do not want to prosecute criminals as adults until age 25 because their brains are not fully developed,” said Assemblyman Heath Flora, R-Ripon, in session ahead of the amendment vote. “These amendments raise the age from 12 to 15 for medical decisions, but that does not go far enough.”
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, called for Wiener to withdraw his bill during an Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing earlier in the month.
On Thursday, he claimed Wiener still didn’t have enough votes to get SB 866 passed.
“Even with the age changed to 15, SB 866 appears to be short of the votes needed to pass the Assembly,” Kiley tweeted. “I again call for the bill to be withdrawn.
Assemblyman Carlos Villapudua, D-Stockton, also weighed Thursday, saying he voted against the amendment and would not support the bill. Villapudua said on Twitter he has “always been supportive of our vaccination and public health efforts.”
“However, I believe taking parents out of the decision making process is a step too far,” he said. “As a father of four younger daughters, I would appreciate being a part of this process for them, and believe all parents should have the right to be a part of it as well for their own children.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.