The response....

Dear Jocelyn:

Thank you for contacting me regarding Senate Bill S. 4779, and Assembly Bills A.778 and A.6702. I appreciate your initiative in writing to me with your concerns.

S.4779 and A.6702 would allow health care practitioners to provide health care related to the prevention of a sexually transmissible disease without parental consent. A.778 would require immunization against HPV to be administered to children throughout New York similar to other immunization schedules that are currently in place.

While I recognize that sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HPV, pose a serious threat to our children, and while I generally support the administration of vaccines against these diseases, I’m hesitant to support any bill which would exclude parents from their children’s health decisions and remove a physicians supervision from the administration of medical services.

As a strong supporter of parents rights, I appreciate your comments and will remember them if these bills come to the floor for a vote.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to call or write me should you have any further questions or comments with regard to this bill or any other State matter. Also, I invite you to visit my website, ranzenhofer.nysenate.gov, and to sign up for my email updates.

Sincerely,

MICHAEL RANZENHOFER
State Senator