MONTGOMERY — On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee passed legislation requiring parental consent for minors to receive vaccinations.
Under current Alabama law, any minor who is over the age of 14 or a high school graduate can give legal consent to any authorized medical, dental or mental health treatment without the permission of a parent or guardian.
House Bill 165 (HB165) would add a short caveat to the existing law, stating that "an unemancipated minor may not give consent to the administration of a vaccination for himself or herself without the written consent of a parent or legal guardian." Regarding Alabama law, Brown's bill would raise the age of informed consent to 19 for vaccinations.
"Receiving a vaccine is a serious decision, and it is one that has the potential to result in negative aftereffects even years after it is given," Brown said. "Most minors are incapable of considering the long-term implications and may even feel pressured into receiving a vaccine, so requiring written consent is a common sense safeguard that protects the child as well as the parents."
The legislation had a public hearing two weeks ago, where supporters and opposition expressed their opinion.
Investigative journalist and family rights activist Terri LaPoint was the first to speak favorably.
"With this immunity that the vaccine manufacturers have, we as parents need to be able to make those decisions," LaPoint said. Children, they're not looking at the pros and cons, they're 14 or 15, and they're not making mature decisions sometimes."
Graham Champion, with the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatric, spoke against the bill, saying it would cause a problem if someone, not a parent or guardian, were prohibited from taking someone under 19 to the doctor. He also said the state should match the requirements under federal law, which is 14.
Champion alleged that contradicting federal law could open the state up to litigation.
On Wednesday, the bill came back before the committee for a final vote.
Brown offered an amendment that gave exceptions in cases where the minor is not reliant on a parent or guardian for support, living apart from their parent or guardian or managing their own affairs.
State Rep. Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa) asked for clarification on the federal law issue.
"On the federal law, we recently passed, two years ago, dealing with sexual reassignment surgery for minors; and that in and of itself shows that the federal law really doesn't have any standing here," Brown said.
He continued, "In fact, there's 41 states that require parental consent for vaccinating minors below the age of 18."
The bill passed as amended with a unanimous vote of approval. It will now go to the House for a full vote.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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