Vaccine parental consent bill set for final N.C. Senate committee vote
Republican-sponsored legislation that would require parental consent for 12- to 17-year-olds to get a COVID-19 vaccine is scheduled for the final state Senate committee step Monday.
The Senate Rules and Operations committee has House Bill 96 as the lone agenda item for its 5 p.m. meeting.
In North Carolina, 12- to 17-year-olds are allowed to decide for themselves on whether to get the Pfizer vaccine — the only one currently approved for that age group — under a state law that applies to medical services that prevent or treat communicable diseases.
If HB96 clears Rules, the bill could appear on the Senate floor for a vote this week, potentially as early as Monday night if the chamber opts to conduct its session after the Rules committee.
Sen. Joyce Krawiec, R-Forsyth, inserted the parental consent language into HB96 on July 21, fulfilling a pledge to constituents she made in June. Krawiec is a primary sponsor of Republican health-care legislation.
Read more: https://journalnow.com/news/local/vaccine-parental-consent-bill-set-for-final-n-c-senate-committee-vote/article_1e8e72b4-f224-11eb-8fbf-93c7ac4d1185.html
(Winston-Salem Journal)
If this legislation is approved, then additional legislation needs to be adopted that prohibits parents who refused to give their children consent to receive the vaccine from collecting any benefits from life insurance policies that cover those children if they die from COVID. If the parents are going to gamble on their child's life, then they shouldn't receive a windfall if the worst possible outcome occurs.