Despite vociferous opposition, the California legislature this week passed a bill that would remove parental consent for vaccinating children 12 and older against sexually transmitted diseases. State law already allows children 12 and older to consent to treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental involvement, but the bill expands that right to immunizations, such as HPV vaccines. The legislation, which has been dubbed the Gardasil bill after the Merck HPV vaccine, generated criticism over Gardasil side effects as well as concerns among some parents and social conservatives that passage would amount to a green light to premarital sex. The California Catholic Conference, for instance, sent notices warning parents that minors do not have adequate judgment about vaccination (see this).
