“My mother never let me get vaccinated. In 2018 I got hospitalized with the flu and begged my mother the next year to allow me to get vaccinated—teens like me die every year from the flu. When COVID hit, I started making slideshows every week to convince her to allow me to get vaccinated but to no avail. Being unvaccinated led me to isolate myself in my room for over a year, filled with anxiety about spreading the virus even further [and] missing out on key developmental moments in my teen years. I had to give up my first job, and missed out on almost 3 years of high school. I could no longer play the sport I loved. I felt paralyzed, unable to make my own decisions about my own health and safety.”
(Ani C., 17 year old student from Los Angeles, CA)

California Senate Bill 866 would allow young people like Ani, who are over the age of 15, to self-consent to a list of FDA approved and CDC recommended vaccines. For over a decade, California youth have had the capability to self-consent to various forms of health care, such as abortions, treatment for mental health disorders, and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. Accessing preventive treatments against life-threatening infectious diseases is no different from the current health services accessible to youth by the law. 

Immigrant families often face language barriers, making it difficult for parents to stay on top of their children’s medical needs. Some students have parents who are too preoccupied with work and daily responsibilities to accompany them to a vaccine clinic, whereas other students face divorced parents who may disagree on the course of their medical treatments. On the other hand, some kids unfortunately come home to medically neglectful families, where even asking about immunizations may pose physical or emotional risks to the child. Our work is supported by pediatricians, school nurses, pharmacists and other public health experts.

In a world where our nation prides itself on making humanity more resilient than ever, our rights as students are slowly being taken away– whether it be access to clean air, abortion, gender affirming care, mental health, or even vaccines. Every day we are faced with an insurmountable number of uncertainties, shared within the school walls but ignored by the administrators who facilitate our education. Will I make it out of school today? Will my grandparents die if I accidentally bring COVID into the house? Will my home catch on fire while I’m at school because of climate change-induced dryness and high temperatures? 

With many of these school safety-related uncertainties, California has already paved the way. Unlike many other states, we’ve made a statewide commitment to reducing the risk of gun violence in schools. We’ve instituted excused mental health absences to offer struggling students a brief reprieve from the overwhelming pressure of school and other related commitments. We’ve promised to preserve access to reproductive healthcare. And, we’ve invested in programs and infrastructure to support a greener future. Public health policies should be next. 

Will California align itself with anti-vaccine, anti-abortion, anti-gun control extremists, or will California continue to lead on vaccine access, health equity, and school safety by passing the Teens Choose Vaccines Act? Sign this petition and urge California lawmakers to vote YES on this life-saving bill.