California Lawmakers Fast-Tracking Child Health Bills to Erode Parental Rights

California lawmakers have chosen to fast-track several key child health bills that will further erode parental rights and infringe on parents’ ability to maintain medical freedom.

Specifically, three fast-tracked bills involve forced COVID-19 vaccinations for children for school enrollment, and another allowing minor children to make their own vaccine decisions away from a parent. A third bill requires health care staff to complete cultural humility training to provide trans-inclusive health care.

The Globe spoke with Karen England, Executive Director of the Capitol Resource Institute (CRI), a pro-family public policy organization educating, equipping, and engaging California citizens for 34 years. England shared her grave concerns about the bills, as well as the legislative processes being circumvented.

“Typically, a bill must be in print for 30 days before it is acted upon, to give Californians time to read and understand the bill. But by conveniently suspending this established rule (Joint Rule 55 & Article IV Section 8(a)), the legislature is denying individual citizens and organizations like CRI the right to properly review and respond to these bills before they are passed,” England said. “It’s an underhanded move, meant to silence parents and hobble grassroots efforts across our state.”

The point of this rule is to give Californians time to read and understand these bills.

“The fact is that they want to slide these bills through when there is plenty of time,” England said. “This should concern everyone.”

According to England, the three bills are decidedly dangerous. According to CRI:

SB 871 by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) – Forced Vaccinations for School Enrollment

“This fast-tracked bill will require your children to receive a COVID-19 shot to enroll in school. Not only does this bill violate the right of a parent to choose which medical products are injected into the bodies of their children, it also shockingly eliminates your ability to request a personal exemption. In other words, your personal beliefs are meaningless in the eyes of the California legislature. With this bill, Senators Pan, Newman, and Wiener are eliminating all safeguards against tyrannical vaccine mandates.”

SB 866 by Senators Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) – Minors Consent for Vaccinations 

“This legislative body is relentless in their pursuit to strip away parental rights as they also fast-track SB 866, a bill that will give minors as young as 12 years-old the ability to consent to any FDA approved vaccination WITHOUT parental consent. This bill not only strips parents of their right to make important decisions regarding their child’s health, but it also places minors in a potentially dangerous situation. If a minor were to have an immediate adverse reaction to a vaccine, the parent would not know. Parents MUST be allowed to be the decision makers when it comes to the health of their children.”

SB 923 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Gender Affirming Care 

“In 2020, CRI and a coalition of others fought against the passage of AB 2218, the Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund. The bill, which eventually passed, was written to grant funding to provide trans-inclusive health care for persons who identify as transgender, gender nonconforming, or intersex (TGI). Now lawmakers are piling on, trying to pass a “companion” bill.”

“SB 923 is the bill that requires staff to complete cultural humility training to provide trans-inclusive health care. The bill also imposes sanctions for non-compliance, and even ominously states that it ‘ensures compliance.’ Additionally, the bill mandates staff take a ‘refresher training course’ if they offend someone. This fast-tracked bill is awaiting a committee assignment.”

“California has become like a co-parent in a divorce,” England said. “Government is the parent with custody and we are the visiting parent which has little say in important decisions.”

“They think parents are the enemy and the barrier for what government wants to do.”

“We have been warned!” England added. “These bills dismantle our Constitutional rights and if we don’t stand up now, those rights will be permanently lost. We want to be your source for legislative updates so that you’ll be equipped to respond when these bills move quickly through the legislature.”