NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – State Senate and Assembly bills requiring all New York seventh graders to get vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) are moving in both houses even as parents vocalize their opposition to the bills.
The bill would require students born on or after Jan. 1, 2009 to get vaccinated against HPV with or without their parent’s permission.
The bills, sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman, highlight American Cancer Society statistics that four out of every five people will get HPV in their lifetime and that the sexually transmitted disease contributes to tens of thousands of cancer diagnoses every year.
On the Senate and Assembly websites, comments from parents overwhelmingly disagree with the bill. The outraged parents say the decision to get vaccinated should fall on the parents, not the government. Other parents on social media say the vaccine was harmful for their children.
The bill requires students to get vaccinated on or after Sept. 1, 2021.