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If the bill were pbaded, New York would join three other states with similar laws.
As epidemics of preventable diseases continue to emerge at an alarming rate, two lawmakers in the state of New York are hoping to enact a bill allowing the vaccination of minors without the consent of their parents.
Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan, and Parliamentarian Patricia Fahy, a Democrat from Albany, announced last week that they would introduce a bill allowing minors 14 years and older to be vaccinated without consent of their parents.
This comes as New York continues to face a measles outbreak throughout the state of New York, where at least 144 cases of measles have been confirmed since October 2018.
The bill was also inspired in part by the testimony of Ethan Lindenberger, 18, of Ohio, who explained to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Work and Retirement why he chose to be vaccinated against the wishes of his mother. "My parents think vaccines are a kind of government program. It's stupid and I've had countless arguments on the subject, "Lindenberger said in a Reddit article before appearing before Congress. "But because of their beliefs, I've never been vaccinated, god knows how I'm still alive."
Today, in the United States, there are still 17 states that allow parents to refuse needed vaccinations for philosophical or religious reasons, putting at risk millions of people who can not get vaccinated for medical reasons. The World Health Organization has ranked "vaccine hesitancy" among the top 10 global health threats in 2019.
According to public health officials, the epidemics are largely due to unvaccinated children claiming religious exemptions, reported ABC News. But the bill would also allow teens to have greater access to vaccines and take control of their health care.
Most vaccine-preventable diseases are transmitted from person to person. If a person contracts an infectious disease, she can pbad it on to others. That's why "group immunity" is so important – you do not make that decision for your child, you take it for everyone around you.
"Older teens, in consultation with their health care providers, should have the freedom to decide for themselves to protect themselves from long-term health risks by getting vaccinated," Fahy said in a statement. The bill is supported by the New York chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics who stated that "young people are often more aware of misinformation on the Internet and can often disagree with parents who have subscribed to baseless and dangerous anti-immunization rants. and pseudo-science. "
In New York, children must be vaccinated against measles, polio, mumps, diphtheria, rubella, hepatitis B, hepatitis B and chickenpox. a child who has a pre-existing condition in danger.
If the New York bill were pbaded, the state would join Oregon, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania, where similar laws are in effect.
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