Contact Senator Feldman Now! SB135 Targets Parental Rights, Gives Minors Ability to Consent to Vaccination Against Parents’ Wishes
UPDATE: There will be a hearing for SB135 before the Senate Finance Committee on 2/18/2020 at 1 PM.
โผ๏ธ๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก!โผ๏ธ
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ช!
๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง, ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ ๐๐, ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐! ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐!
Senator Brian Feldman sponsored SB135, introduced in the early morning hours on Friday, January 10th, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐.
Text of the bill:
Authorizing a health care provider to provide an immunization to a minor without the consent of certain individuals if the minor is at least 16 years of age and consents to the immunization and the health care provider determines the minor is mature and capable of giving informed consent with regard to the immunization; authorizing a health care provider to provide an immunization to a minor under certain provisions of the Act whether or not a parent is not reasonably available or objects to the provision of the immunization; etc.
https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/SB135/2020
๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ!
Senator Brian Feldman
(410) 841-3169, (301) 858-3169
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3169 (toll free)
e-mail: brian.feldman@senate.state.md.us
https://msa.maryland.gov/โฆ/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa13991.html
If youโre a constituent of his โ in District 15 โ let him know!
Find your district and representatives here:
https://maryland.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=177afa87a67746a4ac5496b2d0897fb7
The most effective emails are not form letters, but rather written in your own words. Even a brief โI oppose this bill, thank youโ is effective and will be tallied. Talking points to discuss in your email:
ยท This bill proposes that state government should usurp parental authority and supersede individual parental rights. This is fundamentally unconstitutional and grossly invasive.
ยท 16-year-old minors are not legally allowed to vote, to smoke, or consent to any other invasive medical procedure. These kids are not able to give fully informed consent, nor do they necessarily know the details of their own medical history. Itโs inappropriate to place the burden of medical decision making on minors at this age. If this precedent is set, what other medical decisions might the state take away from parents?
ยท Over 50% of children in the U.S., including Maryland, have a serious chronic health condition. One in sixty children in Maryland (2%) and 1 in 37 boys (3%) are on the autism spectrum. One in six children in the U.S. has a developmental disability and that number is rising. Healthcare providers administering medical procedures may not recognize these disabilities in high functioning children with special needs. How can these children give consent to invasive medical procedures without parental guidance? (If you have a special needs child, tell your story and explain why this bill would be a disaster for your family.)
ยท The Supreme Court ruled in 1979: โMost children, even in adolescence, simply are not able to make sound judgements concerning many decisions, including their need for medical care or treatment. Parents can and must make those judgements.โ
(https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/442/584.html)
Please spread the word! Letโs flood Senator Feldman’s office with polite, respectful, forceful emails and phone calls. He needs to hear our voices!