Fact Check: Did a Bill Allowing Kids To Get Vaccinated Without Parental Consent Pass Into Law?

Posts on social media said a law allowed all kids in the United States as young as 11 years old to get vaccinated without parental consent, a claim that is mostly false.

In late December 2020, the D.C. Council passed a law specific to Washington, D.C., allowing kids to get vaccinated without parental consent if they were deemed by a doctor capable of giving informed consent.

However, no law allows kids nationwide to get vaccinated without parental consent. Only some states are allowing minors to get shots if their parents opposed, Snopes reported. Some posts shared a screenshot from a website called the Conservative Brief.

One post questioned, "Did The U.S. just pass legislation that children can get the Covid vaccine without parental consent?"

No Federal Law Allows Kids to Be Vaccinated Without Parental Consent

It showed a misleading photo of Dr. Anthony Fauci with an article headline: "D.C. Passes Bill to Immunize Children Without Parental Knowledge, Consent." However, several screenshots switched out "D.C. with "Dems," implying a national scope.

It led readers across the U.S. to believe that the new bill was a national law applying to all children 11 years old and older. But it is worth noting that there is no such federal law in existence.

Kids Vaccination Bill Not Linked to Fauci

Even though the bill did get passed in Washington, D.C., it had nothing to do with Fauci, reports clarified. Instead, the law went into effect on December 23 last year under the council.

It will allow children ages 11 and above to get vaccinated against a range of illnesses such as polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, as well as the COVID-19 coronavirus and human papillomavirus.

Vaccination records would be sent to the children's school and not to their parents if they were allowed to attend school without vaccines against infectious diseases due to religious exemptions.

The bill was put forward in the D.C. Council in early 2019 by Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh because of a measles outbreak, said an article from CBS affiliate WUSA 9. It was introduced as the Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act of 2019.

Its goal was to circumvent parents who believe in anti-vaccine conspiracy theory and refuse to let their kids get vaccinated, establishing dangerous outbreaks.

Bill Allows Direct Payment from Insurance Companies

The social media posts also said the bill required insurance companies, school administrators, and medical personnel to conceal vaccination records from parents.

Politifact pointed out in its fact check that the law allows doctors who follow the legislation to seek direct payments for the vaccines from insurance companies rather than involving the parents.

One of the known cases of a child circumventing his parents' wishes on vaccinations was Ethan Lindenberger. He was vaccinated against his mother's wishes when he turned 18.

Lindenberger became famous for his vaccination story in 2017 and has since moved on to become a public health advocate.

Rules on minors getting vaccinated without parents' permission vary depending on states, but none is present in the federal law.