by The parents of Iowa told the legislators of the State on Thursday that a bill that requires the consent of the parents for the vaccinations of children against sexually transmitted diseases or infections would strengthen the rights of the parents, while medical experts claimed that the measure was at odds with Efforts to lower the high cancer rates of Iowa.
Currently, the Iowa law gives minors the opportunity to give permission for medical care – without the permission of their parents or guardians – in cases where care is related to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infections. The IOWA -Wegentend power is considering Senate file 120, which would remove the possibility for minors to give permission for vaccines – such as the vaccine of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – without input from a parent.
During the Thursday meeting of the Subcommité of the Senate Health and Human Services, different parents and speakers with groups such as informed Iowa choice expressed their concern about the possible side effects related to vaccines. Tracy Kennedy, a five -year -old mother, said that the bill was ‘common sense’ to give parents the opportunity to focus their child’s medical care.
“We all have big feelings about vaccines, whether they are efficient, whether they are not,” said Kennedy. “But this is a bill to give parents some power about the decisions of their children.”
But health care proponents said that the HPV vaccine is very effective and argued that the provision that minors allowed to give permission for vaccination, specifically for vaccines related to STDs and STDs because some families may not have any open conversations about such issues.
HPV can cause different types of genital cancer, including cervical cancer, penis cancer, anal cancer and vaginal cancer.
“I think there are some well-intended parents who may worry about allowing that child to have an HPV vaccine, gives their permission that their child is sexually active-we know that that is not true,” said Chaney Yeast or white children’s Hospital. “We know that care providers, their goal is to help train, that discussion with the parent, the child and then ultimately … we are talking about adolescents who have some autonomy in some of their body decision to prevent cancer.”
Jackie Cale with the Network action of the American Cancer Society Cancer Society said that the bill will go into the goals that Gov. Kim Reynolds and others say they say they want to fight the high cancer rates of the state. According to the Iowa Cancer register, Iowa has the fastest rising percentage of cancer of the nation and has new cancer cases for two years at the second highest percentage.
“This bill would be a step back in the fight against cancer,” said Cale. “The mentioned cancers are life -changing, life -threatening and very expensive. And with many of those forms of cancer you run the risk of losing your fertility. “
The bill was approved by the subcommittee on a 2-1 mood, with senator Janet Petersen, D-des Moines, against legislation. Senator Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said she supported the measure and said that the HPV vaccine should be treated the same as other vaccinations in children.
“I think if a child needs parental permission for all other vaccines, that he should not be an exception,” Salmon said. “Vaccines, the risks and benefits can be in the long term, so I think a minor should have parental input about that decision about this vaccination, just like any other vaccination.”
