Iowa Senate advances bill requiring parental consent for minors to receive HPV vaccine

DES MOINES — A minor’s ability to legally consent on their own to receiving the HPV vaccine would be removed under legislation passed by the Iowa Senate Monday. Critics argue the bill will contribute to Iowa’s high rates of cancer.

Senate File 304, which would take away a minor’s legal capacity to consent to receiving vaccines that prevent sexually transmitted diseases or infections without parental approval, was advanced by Senate Republicans 33-14.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people receive the HPV vaccine around ages 11-12 to prevent the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and multiple forms of cancer, including cervical cancer.

Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen, of Des Moines, said the legislation goes against bipartisan efforts to address Iowa’s cancer rates.

“This bill puts kids at risk because it assumes all kids are being raised in safe environments with loving parents,” Petersen said. “When are we going to work on cancer prevention instead of coming after the very things that actually could help prevent it?”

Petersen added that there are no exceptions for minors who are being sexually abused by family members to waive the parental consent requirement.

Iowa has the fastest-growing rate of new cancers and ranks second-highest in cancer rates compared to other states, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry.

HPV causes roughly 37,800 cases of cancer in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC.

  Buy Photo

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Sandy Salmon, a Republican from Janesville, said there are still remedies available for those who are victims of sexual abuse by family members, adding that the bill would align the HPV vaccine with all other vaccines that require parental consent in Iowa.

“With this bill, we are ensuring that a medical product that carries risks and side effects and possibly serious risk of reaction has parents in the room to discuss this and give consent prior to administration,” Salmon said.

During the subcommittee meeting on the bill, backers of the legislation argued that the current policy allows for minors to be coerced into accepting a vaccine and Senate File 304 would return a layer of parental choice.

Representatives of medical associations and medical professionals are registered in opposition to the legislation, arguing that HPV vaccines significantly reduce the risk of cancer.

The vaccine has been found to be safe in many studies, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Iowa’s HVP vaccination rates are below the national average of roughly 60 percent for children age 13-17. In 2024, around 45 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds in Iowa received all HVP vaccines. Vaccination rates ranged widely, from a rate of 20.7 percent in Van Buren County, to Winneshiek County’s rate of 60.4 percent, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.