A bill was passed by the Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday that says anyone between the ages of 14 and 18 must get permission from a parent or guardian before getting a vaccine. This includes doctors, health clinics, and pharmacies. State Rep. Chip Brown is in favor of HB165.
“House Bill 165 is a parental rights bill,” said Rep. Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island). “Alabama law says that any child aged 14 or older can give medical permission. In Alabama, 14 is the age of medical consent. Your parents do not have to agree for you to get any kind of medical care, not even a shot. In Alabama, this means that you need to get permission from a parent before giving a child a shot.
Brown said, “This is just a way for the parent to be involved and know what’s going on.” So, if you have a bad response to any vaccination—let’s say they got one at school—the parent wouldn’t know about it, this is a way to keep the parent up to date on their child’s health care. I only believe in parental permission.
Representative Mary Moore (D-Birmingham) said she wanted to make sure that teens who wanted to change their gender could still get hormone shots without their parents’ permission.
“What can be done after the age of 19 for people who want to change their gender? We have already passed several bills that say that,” Moore said. “They can get these shots whether they are male or female, which will help them grow up to be the sex they want to be.” It made me worry when I saw this bill.
Brown made it clear that this law only applied to vaccines.
“This started because a school I knew vaccinated kids against the flu,” Brown said. “Getting the parents a flu shot wasn’t done wrong, but it was done anyway.” “They didn’t get a form.” The only thing this does is make sure that it happens, so the child would not get the shot unless the parent agreed. “This is just a bill about parental rights.”
Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Satsuma) said, “As a parent of six kids, I know how important this is.” And I definitely want to know about anything like this that involves my kids. You said it wasn’t a bad thing, whether it was the flu shot, COVID, or something else. But I do want to know about it and have a say in what my child gets or doesn’t get. I’d like to thank you for what you do.
Representative Marilyn Lands (D-Madison) spoke out against this bill.
There are many things that Lands did not like about this bill. Because the age of consent is 14, I don’t understand why we are taking vaccines away from all of our other medical and mental health programs. I think that should stay under that umbrella.”
Brown said, “41 states require this.” “We’re after other states.” I’m a parent, and I want to know if my kid got any shots. That’s not what this bill is against. That the Legislature passed a law in 1975 that doesn’t require me as a parent to be told was insulting to me.
“I understand and respect your concerns,” Lands said. “Children should be able to opt in on their own.” I am very worried about the HPV vaccine in particular. The truth is that there are times when a child wants to get that vaccine and their father is the one who raped them. There are many times when I believe kids should be able to give their own permission.
Lands went on, “I think we are letting the government do too much.” “I believe that parents whose child wants a vaccine but doesn’t want their parents to be involved in the decision are making a very good one, and I want to protect those kids.” Many of our children could be hurt very badly by the unintentional effects of this. I strongly urge you to reject this excessive government action.
The House did pass a version of the bill that was changed by a committee.
Brown explained, “What the sub did was make plans for children who are not yet adults and may live with grandparents or not in a traditional home setting, maybe living out on their own.” “That plan took care of those kids.”
Rep. Brett Easterbrook (R-Chatom) said, “Thank you for giving me this bill to look at.” It doesn’t seem right to me. No parent should give their child a shot without their permission. This is too much power for the government. That’s too much government. It’s not about rapists. For rape, I don’t think there is a shot. They still have to tell someone about rape and abuse. I believe it is too much for the government to tell parents which vaccines their children should or should not get.
The House passed House Bill 165 with a vote of 81 to 17. Now it’s on to the Alabama Senate to be looked at. Yesterday was Day 25 of the 2024 state legislature session. Tomorrow is Day 26.
