Parents Win...For Now... As Forced Injections Bill is Stalled!
by Staff
March 15, 2007
Sacramento, California (christiansunite.com) - "The decision to postpone a vote on AB 16 is a strong sign that the issue of parental notification and consent won the day with both Democrats and Republicans," said Benjamin Lopez, Legislative Analyst and Lobbyist for Traditional Values Coalition. "In its present form this bill to mandate forced injections on 6th grade girls does not adequately inform parents about the drug to be used nor does it adequately inform them of the right to exempt their daughter from the injections."On Tuesday, March 13, 2007, the California State Assembly Health Committee held a hearing on Assembly Bill 16 authored by Assemblyman Ed Hernandez (D) of West Covina. AB 16 would require that all 6th grade girls in California be injected with an HPV vaccine. Those who aren't will not be allowed to proceed to the 7th grade. The HPV vaccine is designed to provide protection against various strains of a sexually-transmitted disease known as human papillomavirus (HPV) which can cause cervical cancer in women. Additionally, AB 16 would not require that parents be given information about the drug and its affects like a previous version had required. Parents will not be explicitly told, but they must also submit written notification to "opt out" of the required mandate.
A vote by the committee was scheduled, however, after reservations were raised about a lack of adequate funding for such a mandate and the lack of having a specific process by which parents are to exempt their child from the forced injections by committee members, Assemblyman Hernandez surprisingly announced he would "hold over" his bill. He said he would amend it to address some of the concerns expressed by Democrats, Republicans and other pro-family groups that testified against the bill, which included TVC's Benjamin Lopez.
"It became clear to committee members that the bill is dangerous medicine to the point that even Democrat members echoed Republican concerns that the bill is costly and that parents would not be properly informed nor that they would even know about opting out of the mandate," Lopez said.
Lopez gave praise to Assemblywoman Audra Strickland (R-Moorpark) for asking "the tough questions that needed to raised." Lopez further said of Strickland, "Assemblywoman Strickland's questioning of the bill and pointing out its gross flaws in properly notifying parents created the avalanche that unraveled the bill. Parents won a victory today thanks to Audra Strickland. She did not settle for the untruths supporters of the bill were claiming about parental authority."
Other pro-family leaders gave direct and pointed answers that helped expose the bill for its anti-family, anti-parent provisions. But Strickland specifically called upon Lopez to address the issue of how parents were to be informed about the drug and how to opt out of the injections. Lopez simply exposed the lies being said at the hearing that parents would be properly informed.
"Contrary to what the bill's author claimed, there is no specific policy in it guaranteeing how parents would be informed before the shots would be given to young girls," Lopez said. "Furthermore, the author removed a provision in the bill that would have required doctors to give parents information about the pros and cons to the drug. This bill is not parent-friendly at all."
AB 16 will likely be amended and will be rescheduled for a second hearing by the Assembly Health Committee sometime in April.
"Today's actions are a victory for parents and young girls. But we must not give up or let our guard down. We must continue to be vigilant in ensuring that AB 16 does protect young girls and restores parental authority," Lopez concluded.
