Meeting Public Comments

Anne Wilber

Vote no on this bill, life saving health care should not be politicized. Removing a minors ability to consent dismantles a critical safeguard of choice for young people in unsafe or abusive homes, where care givers may be the ones blocking access to life saving care. Please vote no to protect our young generations of Iowa!

Amelie Pfister

Please vote NO on this bill! If it passes, children could lose access to potentially lifesaving healthcare. Iowa already has high cancer rates, and passing this bill would only worsen the situation. Please, for the sake of Iowa's youth, vote NO!

Ann Tigges

Young people deserve access to this safe and effective cancerprevention vaccine.Preventive care saves lives and reduces longterm health costs. Please vote against this.

Heather D

Please vote yes. Parents have to sign a waiver for ear piercing.

Laura Carlson

My children BOTH asked me to intervene when the doctor pressured each to accept the HPV. One was 16! My son also refused the shot and asked for a new doctor at age 13 due to doctor pressure. Please vote no on this medication that was not properly tested.

Katie Brown

Please protect parental rights! Children should not be allowed to make medical decisions on their own. We require parental consent for so many things trampoline park, fluoride treatments, field trips. When you consider the possible side effects of a medical intervention there should absolutely be parental consent required.Are these children being given informed consent? Handed the insert and reading it through? Are they capable or understanding what they are consenting to? Since when are doctors able to make decisions for their patients? Please don't take away an innocent child's right to having a parental advocate!

Anna Wilson

HPV is a disease that can evolve into cancer. This vaccine is saving lives. Voting no on this bill protects a person's choice, voting yes ends it.

Sasha Fine

Please vote NO!! Young people deserve access to safe, effective, and preventative health care. Iowa already has the second highest cancer rates in the US. The HPV vaccine gives us power to prevent cervical cancer. Cancer prevention should never be politicized. Bills like these are a facade for politicians inserting themselves in our health care decisions and creating even more barriers. Young people deserve autonomy.

Kristin Fairholm

I respectfully urge lawmakers to oppose SF 304.This bill creates yet another barrier between young people and timely access to basic health care, including services that are essential for cancer prevention and early intervention. Allowing minors to consent to care for sexually transmitted infections has long been recognized as a public health best practice. It ensures young people seek testing and treatment earlybefore infections spread, worsen, or lead to longterm health consequences.Restricting a minors ability to access STI care does not improve family communication or safety. Instead, it increases the likelihood that young people will delay or avoid care altogether out of fear, stigma, or lack of accessputting their health, and public health more broadly, at risk.STIs such as HPV are directly linked to multiple cancers later in life, including ones that Iowa ranks high in. Policies that discourage early testing, treatment, and prevention efforts undermine decades of public health progress and place unnecessary burdens on young people who are trying to take responsibility for their health.Iowa should be reducing barriers to preventive carenot adding new ones. Please reject SF 304 and protect young peoples access to medically appropriate, timely health services.Thank you for your consideration.

Mia Burns

Iowa has the secondhighest cancer rate in the nation. Instead of addressing why cancer rates are rising, politicians are interfering with personal medical decisions that affect lifelong health. The HPV vaccine is a proven way to prevent cervical cancer. Preventive treatments save lives and lower longterm healthcare costs for families and the state. Young people need access to this safe vaccine, which is most effective before engaging in sexual activity. HPV is the cause of over 98% of cervical cancer cases; therefore, early vaccination is crucial. Young people should have the autonomy to make health decisions that affect their lives and futures. Imposing consent laws only creates barriers, making it harder for young people to access necessary healthcare. Cancer prevention should not be politicized. Iowa lawmakers should prioritize policies that keep residents healthy and free from cancer. Vote NO on SF 304!

Sandy Wilson [Citizen Engagement]

Citizen Engagement declares IN FAVOR of SF304. Please move the bill.

Jennifer Horner

Australia is on track to eradicate the Human Papilloma Virus from their population by 2035. You know why? Not by backing off on scientifically proven strategies to save peoples' lives. That is what this bill is about: life and death. Iowa is not wrong to allow even minors to control their reproductive health. This bill is irresponsible and harmful to youth. This is a nobrainervote NO.

Laura Wessel-Coon

I support SF304. Please vote yes in support of SF304. A minor needs to have a parent consent to any vaccine or medical procedure. A minor needs a parent consent for other things less serious. Who is going to take on responsibility or that minor if there are adverse effects. If they are serious adverse effects there maybe financial, mental and physical burden on the parent. Vaccine is shielded from any liability. Parents are the person who is responsible for a minor. They are to determine if the risk is worth it please vote yes to SF 304 to protect parent rights and keep minors safe.

Jennifer Leonhard [764]

Vote yes on SF304. This doesn't prevent children from getting a vaccine, only for the procedure to be kept secret from parents. If any adverse events happen from a medical treatment parents need to be able to know what and why these things are happening for the best medical care of their child.

Robert Baker-White

Vote no on this bill. It would reduce the availability of a vaccine that can prevent cancer. It also doesn't address parental rights as it leaves in place the ability for a minor to consent to all other services for the treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

Sydney Bellinghausen

I respectfully urge lawmakers to oppose SF 304. This bill creates yet another barrier between young people and access to basic health care. As a young person, access to healthcare is essential for me to ensure I am able to get myself care in a timely manner. Allowing me to consent to STI/HPV improves my ability to care for myself and my peers. It empowers me to seek testing early and diminishes stigma I feel around sexual healthcare. Without an ability to consent to care choices about my health are taken out of my hands, in situations of unsafe homes this can be the choice between life and death. Restricting a minors ability to access STI care does not improve family communication or safety. Instead, it increases the likelihood that young people will delay or avoid care altogether out of fear, stigma, or lack of access, putting their health, and public health more broadly, at risk. STIs such as HPV are directly linked to multiple cancers later in life, including ones that Iowa ranks high in. Policies that restrict minor's ability to seek care are not youth centric because they discourage early testing, treatment, and prevention efforts. They undermine decades of public health progress and place unnecessary burdens on myself and other young people who are trying to take responsibility for their health. Iowa should be reducing barriers to preventive care, not adding new ones. Please reject SF 304 and protect young peoples access to medically appropriate, timely health services. Thank you for your consideration.