Originally published in The California Catholic Daily
Governor signs bill allowing children to bypass parents on STD prevention, another outlawing use of tanning beds by minors.
Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday signed into law the so-called ‘Gardasil bill,’ a measure vigorously opposed by California’s bishops.
The bishops had repeatedly urged Catholics to contact the governor to ask him to veto the bill, which will allow minors to consent to vaccinations and other means to prevent them from being infected by sexually transmitted diseases without their parents’ knowledge or approval.
The bill, AB 499, was also known as the “Gardasil Bill” after the name of a controversial vaccination some consider dangerous. It was sponsored by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and permits children 12 years old and up to consent to Gardasil vaccinations and other methods to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases without telling their parents.
California’s bishops opposed the bill from its inception, saying it “will greatly expand the ability of children to act without parental permission or the support and guidance of their families.”
Read more….
Leave a Reply