Connecticut bill would let 12-year-olds get vaccines without parental consent

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A bill proposed in the Connecticut state legislature would, if passed, give children 12 years and older the right to get vaccines without parental consent.

Democratic state Rep. Kevin Ryan, who represents the state’s 139th District, introduced the measure, Bill No. 5480, which is described as “an act allowing children 12 years of age and older to receive a vaccination without the consent of a parent or guardian.”

The measure, which has been referred by the state House to the Joint Committee on Public Health, was proposed for the state’s 2023 legislative session and does not rule out other vaccines aside from those for COVID-19.

Ryan’s proposal, according to Hartford’s WFSB, comes amid concerns from his constituents.

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“As their representative, it’s my duty to express their requests and ensure their concerns have been taken seriously, especially on a health care issue,” Ryan said, according to the outlet.

At this point, it is unclear whether Ryan’s bill, which is one of many that were proposed for the state’s legislative session this year, will make it to a floor vote. The Public Health Committee will be tasked with deciding whether the measure advances.

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Parents in Connecticut are required to give either written or verbal permission for their children to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The age of consent for the vaccine in the state, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, is 18.

Fox News Digital reached out to Ryan regarding his vaccine proposal but did not receive an immediate response.

In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that omicron-targeting bivalent COVID-19 vaccines had been authorized for use in children as young as 6 months old.

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The news of Ryan’s proposal comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that a preliminary COVID-19 vaccine “safety signal” had been identified and that the organization was investigating whether the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine creates an increased risk of ischemic stroke in people 65 and older.