Teens for Vaccines applauds Governor Newsom for signing SB 742 into law for protecting people’s right to vaccinate

Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 742 on October 9, 2021, a bill authored by Senator Dr. Richard Pan to give local officials the tools they need to keep extremists from harassing and intimidating patients and front-line workers when getting the vaccine.

SB 742 was sponsored by ProtectUS, non-profit with the goal of battling misinformation and advocating for evidence-based health policies. “People shouldn’t be harassed when they are trying to get a life-saving vaccine. We can protect speech and our right to be safely vaccinated,” said Crystal Strait of ProtectUS.

Teens for Vaccines ambassadors had called in for supporting SB 742 on June 29, 2021, when the bill was introduced in the CA Assembly. Teens for Vaccines also issued a position letter of support as we believed that the right to vaccinate without intimidation is equally important as the right to free speech and the right to protest. Over the past few months, as the Delta variant surged, so did rampant disinformation and extreme anti-vax violence and intimidation at vaccination clinics, putting at risk the safety of front-line health care workers and citizens who were trying to get  the saving COVID-vaccine. The Dodger stadium incident in Los Angeles was only one of many throughout the nation.

“We students applaud Gov. Newsom for his fearless leadership and signing SB742 into law--sending a clear message that obstruction and intimidation by antivaxxers at vaccine clinics will no longer be tolerated. As much as the right to free speech and protest are important, the right to be vaccinated to protect ourselves without getting bullied is equally important. SB742 also protects the safety of the healthcare workers who are tirelessly volunteering at the clinics. We are also very thankful to ProtectUS for allowing students to speak to legislators in support of SB742. We are incredibly thrilled that SB742 is now law and are proud contributors to this historic moment! We sincerely hope other states soon follow through as well,” said Arin Parsa, 14 years old, 9th grade in San Jose, California and Founder of Teens for Vaccines.

Teens for Vaccines student partner organization, GENup also spoke up in support of SB 742 becoming law. “We deeply appreciate Governor Newsom standing up for people who wish to protect themselves, their families and their community.  The pandemic has shown us that far too many people face a wide variety of barriers to getting the health care they need and we cannot allow  obstruction, intimidation, hostility to be additional barriers,” said Kimiya Attar, 17 years old, 12th grade in Fresno, California and Co-Director of Innovation and Strategy of GENup.

Official press release announced by Senator Dr. Pan's office can be read here.