by Guy Page
The Vermont Legislature has long supported minor abortion without parental consent or notification.
Parents can be shut out of third-party transgender counseling with their children.
Current state law, created by the Legislature, allows treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) without parental notification or consent.
The Legislature has approved municipal voting and office-holding for Brattleboro minors as young as 16.
A ‘working group’ study required by a recent VT law recommends public libraries shield from parents the book selections of children as young as 12.
The Legislature clearly wants youth to have more policy input. The Vermont State Youth Council, created by the Legislature in 2022, meets up to 16 times a year, paying the 28 members ages 11-18 a per diem and expenses. A recent advisory document issued by the Council proposes to reduce the state’s carbon footprint by 90% by the year 2040, minimize vehicle and animal impacts by reducing speed limits and increasing speeding penalties in wildlife areas, and protect 50% of Vermont’s state forests and bio-diverse working lands by 2040.
Not every act of the Legislature moves the age of consent and responsibility downwards. The Legislature has moved the age of consent to marry up to 18. And Gov. Scott is lamenting ever signing a bill raising the age of eligibility to be tried as a minor.
This year’s age of consent battlefield is over vaccination of minors for STDs without parental notification or consent. The next skirmish in this as-yet-undecided legislative battle is scheduled to take place Thursday morning at 10 AM in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, where citizens Alison Despathy and Dr. Sandy Reider are scheduled to testify. Both support parents’ rights regarding vaccination of their children. The hearing will be livestreamed.
At issue is a clause in the innocuously-named S.151, the innocuously-named pay parity and transparency in health care bill. The bill would (among other changes to VT health law) “allow a minor 12 years of age or older to consent to medical care for the prevention of a sexually transmitted infection.”
Critics, including the Vermont Family Alliance, say carving out parental participation in any vaccine choice – and especially one related to sexually-transmitted diseases – puts a child at risk of serious immediate and longterm health problems. It also potentially shields the perpetrator of sexual assault – which, by legal definition, is a sexual act (‘consensual’ or not) perpetrated by an adult on anyone under 16.
(Vermonters seeking more information on parental rights regarding minor abortion may inquire at the Right to Life table in the card-room of the Vermont State House tomorrow, Wednesday February 21.)
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Categories: Legislation
Just like when Johnson said “we’ll have those ____ers voting democrat for the next 100 years!”, this is a ploy to get the bleeding heart youngsters to align forever with the democrats.
Do these people even have children? Who is raising our children now – the commie state of Vermont? If you have young children get out of Vermont to save them!
There are some truly maladaptive and perverted extremists running the show in Montpelier. When even seriously harming children won’t keep you from achieving your twisted socio/political mission, you are one bent mother (there’s a derivative of that word again from a previous thread for which there is no real suitable equivalent, yet which we aren’t allowed to say). Sorry, but the actual actions & intents of these legislators are far more heinous & repulsive than any word – obscenity or no – could ever be.
The Vermont legislature is the State of Darkness – usurious taxation, destruction of the family unit by its education system, unlimited abortion at any time for any reason or no reason at all, euthanasia, drug overdoses, suicide, and homelessness. God help us.
Kind of like Gomorrah and the other place ?
I’m glad that you put the term working group in parenthisis Guy, as most of these people would not recognize work if it slapped them side the ——- !
This isn’t complicated, ONE AGE for adult decisions. Pick an age and go with it. We’ve got some towns where 16 year olds can vote in local elections, even younger can get abortions, STD treatment and gender bending help as minors without parental consent. Can’t use/buy tobacco, join military until 18, alcohol, cannabis & guns until 21, insurance under parents plan until 26. STOP! PICK AN AGE OF ADULTHOOD ALREADY. This would also apply to age of accountability for prosecution and punishment of crime. The insanity has got to stop! PEOPLE GET OUT OF YOUR CHAIRS IN NOVEMBER AND VOTE OUT THE LUNATICS, LETS GET A FRESH START! YES, I’M SHOUTING!!!
We protect minors from sexual exploitation, because they are vulnerable. At law, they normally lack contractual capacity. We have raised the age for young people to be charged as adults because of evidence that adult brain actually is not developed later than we had previously thought.
Granting them the ability to make adult health care and sexual health decisions at age 12 utterly contradicts the theory on which other parts of law operate.
But this legislature has perfected the art of logical contradiction.
I wonder whether a survey of Vermont parents would show support for not knowing your kid is getting STD treatment.
Does this apply to gardasil 9 for hpv. I strongly recommend doing research prior. Very dangerous
All should watch – even just the trailer – for The War on Children. https://thewaronchildren.com/
Yet my 19 year old, who must serve if called for battle cannot purchase a gun until he’s 21.