Bill that would let teens get vaccinated without parents’ OK pulled

A bill that would have let teens get vaccinated without their parents knowledge or consent won’t be heading to the governor’s desk this fall after the author pulled it from a floor vote, citing lack of support to pass it.

The bill, SB 866 by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, was the most controversial legislation remaining among a package of bills aimed at the COVID-19 response, several of them by Bay Area lawmakers, as the legislative session wrapped up Wednesday.

“SB 866 did nothing more than empower young people to protect their own health, even if their parents have been brainwashed by anti-vax propaganda or are abusive or neglectful,” Wiener said in a statement Wednesday. “Sadly, months of harassment and misinformation — including death threats against me and teen advocates — by a small but highly vocal and organized minority of anti-vaxxers have taken their toll. The health of young people will suffer as a result.”

Critics said the bill, which initially would have let children as young as 12 get vaccinated without parental consent and was amended to ages 15 and older to garner more support, usurped the rights of parents to raise their kids. They noted schools can’t even give kids under 18 aspirin without parental consent.

“SB 866 was an anti-parent bill that would have allowed minors to make potentially consequential medical decisions without their parents’ consent or knowledge,” said Jonathan Zachreson, a Roseville parent leader who founded the Reopen California Schools social media group and is running for a school board seat. “Its defeat is a win for parental rights and common sense.”

California law generally requires consent of a parent or legal guardian for most medical decisions on behalf of kids under 18, with exceptions for birth control and abortion, treatment of mental health, sexually transmitted diseases, drug and alcohol addiction, and rape or sexual assault.