(Des Moines, Iowa –Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa parents told state lawmakers Thursday that a bill requiring parental consent for children’s vaccinations against sexually transmitted diseases or infections would bolster parental rights, while medical experts argued the measure is at odds with efforts to lower Iowa’s high cancer rates.

Currently, Iowa law gives minors the ability to consent to medical care — without consent from their parents or guardians — in cases where the care is related to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infections. The Iowa Legislature is considering Senate File 120, which would remove the ability for minors to consent to vaccines — such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine — without a parent’s input.

At Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Health and Human Services Subcommittee, several parents and speakers with groups such as Informed Choice Iowa expressed their concerns about the potential side effects associated with vaccines. But health care advocates said the HPV vaccine is highly effective, and argued the provision allowing minors to consent to vaccination was put in place specifically for vaccines related to STIs and STDs because some families may not have open conversations about such issues.

HPV can cause several types of genital cancer, including cervical cancer, penile cancer, anal cancer and vaginal cancer.

Jackie Cale with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said the bill goes against the goals stated by Gov. Kim Reynolds and others who say they want to combat the state’s high cancer rates. According to the Iowa Cancer Registry, Iowa has the nation’s fastest rising rate of cancer, and has had the second highest rate of new cancer cases for two years.

The bill was approved by the subcommittee on a 2-1 vote, with Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, opposing the legislation. Sen. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, said she supported the measure, saying the HPV vaccine should be treated the same as other childhood vaccinations.