First Focus Campaign for Children sent the following letter to District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser in support of the Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act, which recognizes that children have a fundamental right to seek out and receive medical treatment to protect their health and well-being without the approval of their parents.
Excerpt from the letter:
Young people, like every other person in this country, have a right to seek out and protect themselves from diseases that can be prevented by immunizations, just as they should be allowed to do for cancer treatment, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, and other reproductive health care services, mental health, and substance abuse treatment.
Opponents of [Councilmember Mary] Cheh’s bill are effectively arguing that young people should remain voiceless, or even invisible, with respect to the health care decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their well-being. The vast majority of cases involving the health of children are made by parents, but in those instances where there is a dispute and young people believe it is in their own best interest to seek out medical care, opponents are effectively arguing that children are literally property and they have no voice or self-determination.