Karen Gay is the Eastern Shore of Virginia Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader. Consider joining our ESVA Weston A Price Foundation Chapter Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/esvawapf/. For more information contact Karen at 240-393-5625 or karengreergay@gmail.com. All are welcome!
The changing of the guard in Richmond is bringing controversial legislation which may serve to further divide us. I can understand the arguments for and against much of the proposed new legislation but there is one pre-filed bill that got my attention. It is SB 104 and gives children aged 14 and over the ability to consent to vaccines. The summary of this bill reads “Provides that a minor shall be deemed an adult for the purpose of consenting to medical or health services related to receiving vaccinations and immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention if the individual is at least 14 years of age and demonstrates to the satisfaction of a health care practitioner the ability to understand at the same comprehension level as an adult the risks and benefits associated with vaccinations and immunizations.” http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+sum+SB104
Most of us who have had teenagers in the house have noticed that they can be prone to lapses of memory, resisting parental authority, and just plain temperamental at times. Their brains are growing, and we parents try hard to keep them safe until they become a more mature version. These are the reasons why we have laws prohibiting children from smoking, drinking, and buying guns. Most of the teenagers I’ve met do not know their medical histories and what vaccine is due when. What would your child do when confronted by an official at school telling them it is time for their vaccines? Most of them would agree and fall in line.
I can think of so many cases where this practice might be dangerous. For instance, say your six-month-old child was one of the two instances in Virginia in 2018 who reported anaphylactic shock after receiving the flu vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) schedule. Clearly most children don’t react like this to the flu vaccine, but each child is different. As a result, you’ve very carefully declined the flu vaccine and most likely your pediatrician has listed this in the medical record, and it is never offered for your child. Vaccines should be administered by a healthcare practitioner who knows your child.
SB 104 was filed for the 2020 legislature by Senator Barbara Favola of senate district 31, which comprises parts of Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties. On her webpage, she lists many goals under the categories of Affordable Healthcare and Protecting Children but giving children the right to make certain medical decisions is not listed. This is odd considering that this bill is so important to her that she took action to file it ahead of the upcoming session.
In reviewing Senator Favola’s donor history using FollowtheMoney.org I see that she has received contributions from only two pharmaceutical entities in the Health sector and not for a great amount of money. https://www.followthemoney.org/show-me?dt=1&law-eid=6088650#[{1|gro=y,d-eid,d-cci{1|. I find her championing of children and families admirable but wonder why she does not make this bill more public considering her leadership role.
Should parents or Government officials make healthcare decisions for children? If this bill is passed into law, the lines between families and Government become blurred. It will have the subtle effect of saying that what officials recommend for your children is more important than the parents. After this precedent is set, what will be parents’ rights regarding healthcare decisions for their children? Do you think Government officials should be able to make recommendations to impressionable children without the consent or knowledge of their parents?
Ralph Northam is a sick bully and is attempting to create laws and policies to emotionally take our children from the family. He wants to give children the right to oppose their parents and have abortions and get immunizations. Whether or not I support either of these decisions has nothing to do with the question of this legislation. The question is whether or not Richmond should be allowed to decide for our children for us. What’s next ? Ralph forces our children to have sex and breed democrats ?
UNBELIEVABLE that Northam’s New Democrat majority in Virginia’s legislature will expose our MINOR CHILDREN to peer pressured, dangerous jabs WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT!
This is so dangerous and short-sighted. Children can’t who are not allowed to vote, drink alcohol, join the military, will be coerced into making medical decisions. Who will help them if they have a poor reaction? And parents aren’t even informed? Who will be financially responsible for any adverse reactions?
Large pharmaceutical donors….welI guess we know who such a poor idea was introduced.
We want our children to make responsible decisions but yet take away parental authority to help navigate decisions. This opens doors for children to “sneak” medical care that they should have to discuss with parents. Children ARE NOT adults and should not be treated as adults for MEDICAL services. We can’t trust our kids to make complex decisions but expect them to do thorough risk/benefit analysis
#informedconsent
And once The Commonwealth teaches our children to sneak immunizations and abortions will these children actually be learning that it’s okay to sneak other things too ? Naaaaahhhh. Children are angels.
Why would anyone think that 14-year-olds are mature enough, or have enough information, to make a medical decision like this by themselves? The federal government agrees that vaccine injury is possible (i.e., 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act), so there is risk whenever a vaccination is given. Children are not in ANY position to review the literature, to understand their own childhood medical history, or to be fully aware of the potential risks involved with vaccination. This bill attempts to circumvent a parent’s right to decide what is best for their children.
This is very dangerous proposed legislation! Minors do not have the mental capacity to understand the serious adverse reactions listed on vaccine inserts, such as DEATH, anaphylaxis, encephalitis, encephalopathy, seizures, paralysis etc. The inserts are at best written at a college text. Who will be responsible if an injury or adverse reaction occurs? We know the vaccine manufacturers have immunity from legal liability. So then who? The schools? The districts? Legislators? Parents alone are responsible for the health and medical care of their children.
This bill us reckless and unnecessary. The state does not have our children best interests in mind here. Parents and family providers need to continue to be involved in medical decisions, not a state representative with an agenda that does not honor parental consent.
I find this very odd…Senator Favola said in a video on her website in regards to SB168 (2018 on Juvenile Justice System) that teen brains are not completely developed until age 25. And went on to say they don’t fully understand the consequences of their choices. If their brains aren’t fully developed until 25 and they can’t understand the consequences of their choices (which I totally agree with) then SB104 is a very dangerous bill. I nearly died from a vaccine when I was 19…I was told it was a rare event but it’s becoming less and less rare. When I started researching the science I came to realize there is so much I didn’t know about vaccines and more alarming…neither do the scientists. For example, there may be a genetic component that can result in an increased likelihood of adverse reactions (including the one I had) that scientists are still studying/trying to understand. So teens with partially developed brains are certainly not going to be able to understand the complexities/consequences of these decisions. It’s very dangerous of Senator Favola to introduce a bill that would hand this decision over to teens whom she admits cannot fully understand the consequences of their choices. These decisions need to remain with the parents. Thank you Karen Gay for raising the alarm bell.
Then I guess you would be in favor of raising the age of enlistment into the services, raising the age of law enforcement, raising the age to obtain a drivers license, raising the age of marriage, drinking age, pilots license , etc. Because all of these choices are truly dangerous in the the hands of someone who can’t understand consequences. “teens with partially developed brains are certainly not going to be able to understand the complexities/consequences of these decisions”
Not necessarily…and I’m not proposing any changes. I’m pointing out the author of the bill’s (SB104) hypocrisy…she is the very person who brought up the fact that brains aren’t fully developed and able to make good/sound judgements (until age 25) in discussion on a different bill.
Children are just that. Children. There is a reason why the drinking and smoking age is 21. It should be no different in their medical decisions. Children need their parents guidance and support. I question how informed their consent would be at such a young age.
If they are too young to smoke cigarettes, serve in the armed forces, drive a car, then they are too young to make an informed choice regarding prophylactic medical care (that potential side effects include death as per the inserts) and that haven’t been tested whether they cause cancer or infertility. PARENTS CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN, and 14 year olds are MOST DEFINITELY still children!
This is not ok.
I agree Wayne, let the parents decide to not vaccinate their children. Let the idiots take themselves out if the gene pool. I have no problem with that.
Note: This article is written health and sciences editor, Karen Gay. Notice the by-line.
“Note: This article is written health and sciences editor, Karen Gay. Notice the by-line.”
My bad. Karen, you are correct, children have no rights to vaccinate themselves against the wish of their idiot parents. It’s outrageous for those kids to survive and perpetuate the idiot gene. We have to stop this insanity now!
Hi Sorin, this article is about parental authority and not specifically vaccinations (although I reserve the right to discuss in a future article :-). Healthcare can be a contentious issue and whenever discussing science, I value diversity of thought. Science is never settled, because there will always be another study coming along disproving the previous one. Consider that doctors supported the use of tobacco by pregnant women decades ago and it took a years of ridicule for washing hands before it became the norm for surgery. I read a study saying that it takes about 20 years for a new technology to be accepted. We even have a doctor in Norfolk who determined that IV Vitamin C is very useful in resolving bacterial infections, but hospital patients are still dying without the use of this new protocol.
Making fun of parents who would rather die than have their children injured is not productive or kind. It sounds like you could be a proponent of one size fits all medicine and if you were in charge you’d be forcing statins or the most recently recommended drug of choice on all.
Karen, I am frustrated that in the age of information the troglodytes are thriving. Look at Samoa. If a teenagers would like to follow the recommendation of current scientific consensus despite their parents who were brainwashed by some antivaxxer celebrity , I hope they get do that.
“idiot parents”…………”troglodytes”…………..
Dude, you just can’t help yourself, can you?
You uttered a backhanded apology in the 2A discussion, got schooled on how disingenuous it was and now you are right back to intolerance and arrogance.
Heh, it’s all good as far as we deplorables go. Means you haven’t learned a thing since Nov. 8th, 2016.
This defies all logic. My 14 year old doesn’t even brush his teeth without being told to do so. I asked him what he would do under this situation and he was confused and said, “Why would I have to decide this. I have no idea.” Enough said. Government of Virginia, move along to something productive.
Good article. Too few parents are unaware of this bill and the attempts in Virginia to strip away constitutionally protected freedoms, in many areas. I second what Dawn Talty says, and science has shown it to be true that the teenage brain is not fully mature, especially in the areas needed to adequately calculate risk and long-term consequences. This is evident behind the wheel and many other areas, and if Senator Favola herself mentioned this science on teen brain development elsewhere and is yet sponsoring this crazy bill, it makes absolutely no sense. Most teens, heck, many adults wouldn’t understand some of the medical terms for side effects listed in package inserts, if the doctor even gave them a full informed consent. What kid/teen is going to know how to advocate for themselves and ask the proper questions for informed consent for any drug/procedure? Most of the parents I know who vaccinate their kids do not think kindly of the government trying to make medical decisions for them and usurp their parental authority. It’s a very slippery slope and if we the people sit by and let tyrants get their way on bills like this, they will continue to try to strip people of their God-given rights. Our liberty is being attacked.