By Jefferey Jaxen

In a major legal pushback, a lawsuit funded by the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) has just halted a law allowing doctors to vaccinate kids as young as 11 years old without parental consent or knowledge. 

In 2020, the D.C. council passed the Minor Consent for Vaccinations Act Amendment of 2020.

However, in the recent legal action funded by ICAN, this law was challenged and a judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the act.  

The parents who objected to childhood vaccinations filed complaints and sought preliminary injunctions. Judge Trevor N. McFadden has just concluded that the parents have shown that the act likely violates federal law.  

Beyond placing vaccines in a special category to allow legally unaccountable individuals to persuade a minor child to get vaccinated without the knowledge or consent of the parent, the act also goes to lengths to actively hide medical information from parents.

ICAN CEO Del Bigtree immediately released a video on Twitter giving the details of the act and the recent legal action.

Bigtree explains, “What this law did was basically force the doctor to lie to the parents and create a fake vaccination record. It also forced the school to lie to the parents about the actual vaccination record of the child. It forced the insurance company to create fake billing so the parents couldn’t see that they’ve been billed for this vaccination.” 

ICAN lawyer Aaron Siri took to Twitter to inform the public:

During the public hearing in June 2019 to discuss the act before it was signed into law, pediatrician Dr. Helene Felman, representing Washington D.C.’s chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), stated:

“As a pediatrician, I like the legislation as it stands because it offers the opportunity to capture those young adults who can make informed decisions at technically any age.”

Several other proponents of the bill who testified similarly danced around committing to an age they believed would be appropriate for a child to make their own medical decisions – ultimately 11 was decided upon. 

The American Medical Association (AMA) has thrown its full weight behind attempting to remove the parents from medical decisions involving their children.

At a policy meeting in 2019, the AMA announced it “will encourage state legislatures to establish comprehensive vaccine and minor consent policies.” The press release continues by stating the AMA “will support state policies allowing minors to override their parent’s refusal for vaccinations.”

The DC law is far from a one-off situation. In fact, there appears to be a concerted push from multiple angles attempting to force the idea of eliminating parents from medical decisions.

Current legislation in California would, if signed into law, allow minors 12 and older to consent to any vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Jefferey Jaxen

Jefferey Jaxen is an investigative journalist and researcher, best known for his weekly segment The Jaxen Report on The HighWire. With a sharp eye for detail and a talent for clear, compelling storytelling, he has exposed major issues in medicine, science, and public health policy, earning recognition as a trusted voice in independent journalism.

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