Governments are rapidly decreasing parental rights in all areas from health care to education. A new bill in California will now permit children as young as 12-years-old to take the COVID vaccine without their parents’ permission. Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) pushed SB 866 through the Senate and expanded it to cover any FDA-approved vaccine. The bill passed by just one vote.
Do we trust 12-year-olds to make important medical decisions alone? Are they aware of their current medications, potential allergies, and the repercussions of the vaccine? If a child were to experience an adverse reaction, their parents would not know how to help. California public schools are clearly pushing for these unnecessary vaccines, and vulnerable children may feel pressured by other authoritarian figures to take the shot without their parents knowing. This teaches children to trust the government over their parents, who they should begin keeping secrets from at a young age.