SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ani Chaglasian spent much of last year trying to convince her parents that she should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The 17-year-old said she laid out research showing it would safety protect her from being infected or passing the virus to others. She pleaded. She reasoned. She created a slideshow presentation. But, the teen said, her parents remained hesitant and she remained unvaccinated.
Under a bill introduced Thursday by a California lawmaker, Chaglasian and other children in the state would be allowed to make their own vaccination decisions. Senate Bill 866 by Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, would permit children 12 and older to be vaccinated, including against COVID-19, without their parents’ consent or knowledge.
