Children should not be able to receive vaccines without parental consent, said sophomore Alya MacManaway to the Vermont state Senate. 

MacManaway, a student from Vermont, spoke up against a bill which would allow minors to receive vaccinations without parental permission. 

“I have been involved with the Health Freedom movement through my family for a long time and when my mom suggested that I go with her to testify I thought why not?” she said. 

This bill specifically referred to vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases for minors of 12 years or older. 

“Not only would the parents not be informed of any preventative measures taken, but both the medical professionals and insurance companies would be required to actively hide this information from parents,” MacManaway said. 

MacManaway argued minors are not qualified nor knowledgeable enough to understand the risks involved with these vaccines. 

“A minor is neither equipped to make an informed medical decision, nor deal with the consequences of that decision,” she said. 

Minors could be pressured to participate in medical procedures without protection of parents, according to MacManaway, referencing consequences of a bill passed in Washington, D.C.

“A similar bill was passed in D.C. in 2022, and during the process of repeal, a 12 year old’s experience of being coerced through peer pressure to take an unwanted vaccine was cited,” MacManaway said. “I have a serious concern that if this section of S151 goes onto the books, it will open up similar coercion in my home state.”

Madison Gilbert, a sophomore, said she agreed with MacManaway’s sentiment and added that this is both damaging to parental responsibilities and children’s innocence. 

”By passing this bill, they are undermining their parents’ authority for their child, and giving children an option for this reinforces the idea that they could have sex,” Gilbert said. 

Sophomore Rebekah Preston said this bill is a slippery slope. 

“I think that passing a bill like that would raise the danger of parents’ consent in other areas, including gender changing surgeries,” Preston said. 

MacManaway emphasized the danger of the bill but also encouraged young people to come forward with opinions, regardless of perceived difficulties. 

“When I testified, I was probably the youngest in the room by at least 15 years, and unfortunately, I think this can be very characteristic of politics,” MacManaway said. “It is not that we as young people don’t care about these issues, but most of us either don’t want to get directly involved or don’t know how.”

MacManaway said testifying is important in order to give the Senate knowledge of the public opinion. 

“I think as constituents we can get angry at our legislators for not understanding our opinions and championing our specific concerns, but if we don’t tell them what these are, how could they ever do this?” she said. 

MacManaway claimed if people do not speak up, the consequences of laws are on them as well as their legislators.

“Their job is to represent their communities, if we do not tell them what we think, then they cannot represent us properly,” she said. “As a community member, if I don’t voice my concern, that is on me.”