Should Teens be Allowed to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine without their Parent’s Permission?
Courtesy of Latino Health Access Instagram
A dancing syringe is seen in Santa Ana to bring awareness to the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
March 31, 2022
Recently, a Pennsylvania teen, Nicholas Montero, crossed county lines from Bucks County to Philadelphia in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Montero was allowed to get it there without his parents’ permission as many counties in the U.S have not implemented that right yet. Montero’s parents were strictly against the COVID-19 vaccine and prohibited their son from getting it. Over the past two years, hundreds of teens have gotten vaccinated against their parents’ will.
In Orange County, two teenagers passed away from COVID-19 in February. One teen was not vaccinated which shows how serious a threat COVID-19 is towards a person’s life.
In the United States, in cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and the state of Arizona, teenagers are allowed to self-consent the decision to get vaccinated. A vast majority of states still haven’t implemented the right for 17-year-olds and younger to get their vaccine without permission.
Teens should be allowed to get the COVID-19 vaccine as they are mature enough and it could save lives.
A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that three in 10 parents said that they are allowing their kids to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, half of the parents noted that they have not vaccinated their children.
15-year-old Godinez Fundamental High School (GFHS) student Daniel Arroyo has not been able to vaccinate himself due to his parents’ work hours.
“I haven’t been vaccinated as both my parents work all day. Sunday is their only day off but they are totally in favor of the vaccine as their job requires it,” said Arroyo.
But Arroyo wants the vaccine and hopes, “I will be able to get the vaccine without my parents having to give permission.”
16-year-old GFHS sophomore, Jared Valentino, said he hasn’t gotten vaccinated as his parents are strictly against the vaccine but he will get the vaccine once he turns 18.
“My parents are really afraid of the possible side effects of the vaccine but I have done my own research and I know it’s safe. The hard part is waiting around for two years to turn 18,” stated Valentino.
18-year-old senior Jahir Navarro has stated that his mom was highly against the vaccine.
“My mom believed that the vaccine was a government plot, but as time went on we lost some loved ones which made us take the initiative to get vaccinated,” said Navarro.
Bill SB-866 was introduced in California on January 20, in order to allow teenagers under 18 to get the vaccine without the consent of their parents. California is one of the main states that highly encourages the COVID vaccine with this bill being amended in the Senate on March 9th, it could soon turn into law.
The hope is to see a surge in vaccinations for teens as they have the ability to make that decision to get the vaccine without their parents consent. The pros outweigh the cons since more teens will get vaccinated, teenagers could start fighting for this right in other states, teens could do things that only vaccinated people can do because of their vaccination status, and it’s been proven the vaccine is completely safe so once teens are vaccinated their parents may be encouraged to get vaccinated as well.
With many teens wanting to get vaccinated, there are similar rights that teens are allowed to do in other states including:
- Dropout of School- 25 states
- Receive an Abortion-38 states
- Get Married at the age of 16 with parental consent- 46 States
- Consume alcohol with parental provision– Arkansas and New York
- Get a tattoo- 39 States
The COVID vaccine might be the difference that saves a teenager’s life. The government should consider allowing teens to get vaccinated. If they aren’t allowed to, then the consequences could be fatal.
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Ruth • May 2, 2022 at 9:59 pm
I believe that teens should be able to get the covid-19 vaccine without their parents permission because some parents may be INTIMIDATED by the vaccine. “My parents are really afraid of the possible side effects of the vaccine but I have done my own research and I know it’s safe.” They also said, “My mom believed that the vaccine was a government plot”.
Victoria • Apr 18, 2022 at 5:39 pm
In my opinion I believe it is right for teens to take their own action about taking the vaccine. Teenagers are responsible and mature enough to make their own decisions. “My parents are really afraid of the possible side effects of the vaccine but I have done my own research and I know it’s safe.” says Valentino. Many teenagers have formed their opinion about the vaccine and majority are for taking it being mature for their age, looking up answers to their questions. Although there are many different opinions about the vaccine, it has lowered the death rates of those who have been infected with the virus. An example of a parent’s opinion is “My mom believed that the vaccine was a government plot…” says Navarro. Although parents’ opinions are INTIMIDATING and mean a lot to teenagers, they are old enough to take action and get vaccinated. Parents BELITTLE teenagers opinion about COVID-19 because they know what’s best and because they’re their guardians.
karina • Apr 18, 2022 at 10:55 am
I do agree that teens should be able to get the vaccine without their parents permission. We are all VIGILANT about covid-19 vaccine, however parents can have negative thoughts about it. “In orange county, two teenagers passed away from COVID-19 in February.” From this quote we can determine how COVID is still impacting us. “One teen was not vaccinated which shows how serious a threat COVID-19 is towards a persons life. I agree with this statement. If the person had been vaccinated this could have been avoided. A lot of the time, a teen is not vaccinated because of their parents beliefs. If teens were able to get vaccinated without parents permission, it could make a difference.
jacob lechuga • Apr 1, 2022 at 4:21 pm
teens should be allowed to put on the vaccine without a parents consent because they would be allowed to go back to normal life with out parents repudiate to vaccines
aylin medel • Apr 1, 2022 at 9:47 am
I agree that teens should be allowed to get vaccinated without their parents permission. Like the article states, some parents are doubtful when it comes to the vaccines because of the “possible side effects”. There have been a PLETHORA of studies that there is some side effects to the vaccine, but there aren’t any long-term consequences. Many people research the vaccine before they make the decision of getting it. This is why it should be allowed for teenagers to get vaccinated as they are “mature enough” to make these decisions for themselves.
Roman Pena Diaz • Apr 1, 2022 at 9:04 am
In my opinion teens should be allowed to get the vaccine without parent permission. It could save a lot of lives and not all parents even believe vaccines work and those kinds of parents are the reason why we have been in a pandemic for 3 years. Many states are allowing teens to get the vaccine without permission already. “Montero was allowed to get it there without his parents’ permission as many counties in the U.S have not implemented that right yet. ” Many parents are against this idea because they believe it will do more harm to their child due to symptoms however 2 teens have already died to Covid-19 in Orange County. “In Orange County, two teenagers passed away from COVID-19 in February. One teen was not vaccinated which shows how serious a threat COVID-19 is towards a person’s life.” It is surprising to me that so many parents don’t want to get the vaccine, because Covid-19 is the most INFAMOUS virus to plague us in modern times.