Cruz bill would block feds, states and public schools from mandating COVID vaccines for kids
Cruz says the decision for a child to get the vaccine is 'best left to parents'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced legislation Thursday to prevent the federal government, as well as public schools, from imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates on children.
The legislation would bar any entity at the federal, state and local level that receives federal funding, including school districts, from requiring the vaccine for minors.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks during a television interview in response to U.S. President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 28, 2021. (REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo)
"Parents should have the right to decide what is best for their children in consultation with their family doctor," Cruz said in a statement. "My view on the COVID-19 vaccine has remained clear: no mandates of any kind."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden's administration has "repeatedly ignored medical privacy rights and personal liberty by pushing unlawful and burdensome vaccine mandates on American businesses, and now they are preparing to push a mandate on kids by pressuring parents — all without taking into account relative risk or the benefits of natural immunity," Cruz said.
In this Oct. 5, 2021, file photo a healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. President Joe Biden’s most aggressive move yet to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is almost ready to see the light of day. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Cruz said he is proud to introduce the legislation, which aims to keep the federal government from making "decisions related to a child’s health," concluding that those decisions are "best left to parents."
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gave the final nod for children ages 5-11 to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Leah Lefkove, 9, covers her face as her dad Dr. Ben Lefkove gives her the first COVID-19 vaccine at the Viral Solutions vaccination and testing site in Decatur, Ga., on the first day COVID-19 vaccinations were available for children from 5 to 12 on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use for pediatric doses, which are about one-third of the dose given to adolescents and adults. The vaccine is already approved for emergency use in children 12-15 years old.
Fox News' Julia Musto and Bradford Betz contributed to this article.