N.Y. bill waives parental consent for HPV vaccine
The Press & Sun Bulletin reports:
Young women can receive reproductive health care, birth control, abortions and other services at Planned Parenthood clinics — all without parental consent. But if they are under 18 and want a vaccine against the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer, they need family permission.
That leads to a lot of missed opportunities to protect women’s health because teens may be reluctant to take up the matter with parents, said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, Westchester County. She is sponsoring legislation that would waive the consent requirement for minors. The vaccine is most effective when given to girls before they are sexually active, she said . . .