EFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A new bill in California would allow children to get vaccinated against diseases including COVID-19 without their parents' consent. Currently, kids in the state between ages 12 and 17 must receive permission from a parent or a guardian to get a vaccine, unless it is to prevent a sexually transmitted infection. However, the new bill introduced Friday by state Sens. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) would allow Californians aged 12 and older to receive vaccines that meet specific federal agency criteria on their own. Under the bill, adolescents could get vaccinated as long as the shots are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee. As of Wednesday, about 63% of Californians aged 12-17 are fully vaccinated, according to the state department of health but at least 28% are not. "There are nearl
If California can reduce severe illness among children from COVID-19 by requiring vaccinations in order to attend public or private schools, why not? columnist George Skelton asks.
Sen. Scott Wiener filed the proposal, arguing that similar laws have been created for the Hepatitis B or the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, and they did not require parental consent.
The former Home and Away star, 38, has shared her opinion regarding a California proposal that would allow preteens to get vaccinated without parental consent.