Lawmakers in New York Are Pressuring Vaccinate Kids Without Parental Consent

Legislators in New York State are considering drafting legislation that would permit vaccinations for children of any age without parental permission in situations when parents refuse vaccinations.

Legislators in New York State are considering drafting legislation that would permit vaccinations for children of any age without parental permission in situations when parents refuse vaccinations.

In addition, if the youngster seems to have the "capacity to comprehend," Assembly Bill A6761, filed by New York Assemblymember Karine Reyes (D-Bronx), would provide medical care, including hospitalization and surgery, without parental approval.

The provisions would let a practitioner to provide a vaccination to a kid if "they have reason to believe that a person in parental relation to the child... objects to the immunization," according to Dr. Suzanna Burdick, who examined the legislation for The Defender.

Furthermore, "No other person's consent shall be required for a child who is capable of giving effective consent [to various medical interventions] to receive their own vaccination."

Gilmore claims that the measure has several other issues. As stated in the website of the New York Assembly, the active summary statement permits homeless adolescents to provide their effective consent for certain medical, dental, health, and hospital treatments.

However, as Gilmore notes, the bill's language refers to more than simply "homeless" adolescents seeking "certain" assistance, so the claim is "deliberately misleading." In actuality, regardless of age, it pertains to all minors.

The bill states:

“Any person, including a minor, who comprehends the need for, the nature of, and the reasonably foreseeable risks and benefits involved in any contemplated medical, dental, health, and/or hospital services, and any alternatives thereto, may give effective consent to such services for themself, and the consent of no other person shall be necessary.”

“Albany is lying” about the bill, concludes the Autism Action Network.

Michael Kane, founder of Teachers For Choice in New York, agrees that the bill is duplicitous.

“It’s a complete lie to say the bill applies only to homeless children or runaways — and it’s a dangerous one,” Kane told The Defender. “It’s imperative that legislators understand what the bill really does,” Kane said.

It is also remains unclear how practitioners would assess a minor’s “capacity to comprehend.”

With New York lawmakers considering close to 10,000 bills, legislators may rely on a bill’s one-sentence summary — rather than reading its full text — for deciding how they vote, according to Gilmore.