By Casey Jacobson, Editor
The Golden State has made it a crime to actually get golden.
In California, it’s now illegal to indoor tan if you’re under the age of 18—and Illinois might be next.
It’s the nanny state at its worst. What makes it okay for the government to ban tanning beds for everyone under 18 just because it may cause increased harmful effects?
Yes, tanning can be unhealthy, especially when done excessively. People who tan know the effects of sunlight and UV rays, yet they choose to anyway.
Let’s compare. People are also aware when they pull up to a McDonald’s that they aren’t going to get a plate of carrots, yet millions of people order from them every day. Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Should the government ban fast food for kids so they wouldn’t get obese?
The freedom to choose is what California’s governor Jerry Brown took away when he signed the bill banning those under 18 from ultraviolet tanning beds and device on commercial premises into law for 2012.
Not all girls (or guys) who use indoor tanning are among the stereotype who have four different accounts to different tanning salons so they can get as dark as the cast of “Jersey Shore,” and the sun’s UV rays are the same as UV ray lights from tanning beds.
What’s he going to do—ban sunlight next?
Health organizations such as the American Cancer Society argue that the bill is going to protect America’s youth. They claim indoor tanning’s UV rays cause increased risks of diseases and cancer, so the bill should be supported.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association applauded California for their decision.
“We commend Gov. Brown, Sen. Ted Lieu and the other members of the California legislature for their efforts to help reduce the future incidence of skin cancer by protecting youth from the dangers of indoor tanning,” dermatologist Ronald L. Moy, president of the AADA, said.
Although the bill will keep minors from indoor tanning, does the government really think that teens will stay out of the sun?
“It is a fact that taking away from teens the option to tan indoors will not stop teens from sun tanning; it will only send them outdoors into an uncontrolled environment, with no supervision, no trained staff, no parental consent required, where they are more likely to be over exposed or sunburned – which is exactly what the proponents of this bill say they are trying to avoid,” said John Overstreet of The Indoor Tanning Association.
Overstreet might have a financial incentive to have teens tanning, but he’s right.
The sun has maybe just a teensy little bit more power than a tanning bed, and tanning isn’t bad in moderation.
“If you’re just getting ready for a special event a week beforehand, and go [in the bed] for ten minutes three times a week, we are talking about 30 minutes,” health teacher Cindy Miller said. “It’s when girls are tanning for 30 minutes at a time consistently it becomes extremely dangerous.”
The conversation about tanning has reached a certain level of ridiculousness when teenage girls slather themselves in tanning oil and bake under the sun for hours, but then are afraid that a tanning bed is going to give them cancer.
The law is unnecessary as well because protections for minors are already in place. When minors tan for the first time, a parent or guardian is required to give permission. Paperwork must be signed warning customers about serious effects such as eye damage, aging and skin cancers. Tanning salons even provide a mini-quiz to find out personal skin type so they know how much time should be spent in the bed.
Even in the private room for tanning, a large poster on the wall cautions customers about the harmful effects of UV rays.
“I think there is enough education going out to teens about tanning beds and tanning that they are able to make their own decision whether or not they want to do it,” Miller said. “If you’re allowed to decide whether or not to abort a pregnancy at age 16, I think that you should be allowed to make the decision if you’re going to be in a tanning bed.”
The government has no right to just take away business and jobs from tanning salons or to tell us whether we’re allowed to tan or not.
I’m not saying that indoor tanning should be taken advantage of to the point where my skin turns bright pink or freckles more than week-old bananas, but it’s my own body. I should have the right to do what I please with it.
