SB 132 is being voted on TODAY- please contact state representatives while there is still time! "Dear Oregon NVIC Advocacy Team Members, SB 132, an Oregon Pediatric Society bill which eliminates Oregon’s statutorily protected religious exemption and instead inserts a limited personal exemption controlled by doctors and the health department, is scheduled for a third and final vote in the House today. Please immediately contact your State Representative (leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/) and ask him/her to VOTE NO on SB 132. Here is a copy of the text of NVIC’s statement of opposition to the bill and an excellent letter by fellow Oregonian Robert Snee and to give you ideas for your own email and phone calls to your representative. PLEASE CALL, EMAIL and FAX now! NVIC’S Statement of Opposition to SB 132: June 18, 2013 The Honorable [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE’S NAME], , Please oppose SB 132 which completely removes Oregon’s longstanding statutorily protected religious exemption to vaccination (ORS 433.267 (1) (c)) and instead inserts a limited personal exemption controlled by doctors and the health department. SB 132 forces a parent to overcome government defined hurdles and use a government issued and controlled form when current law only requires a simple written statement of religious exemption from the parent. Additionally, SB 132 forces the parent to submit themselves to a lecture by a doctor or state approved health care practitioner about vaccination and obtain their signature on the government form OR to complete a state government defined vaccine education module and obtain and show certification of completion for the exemption to be valid. SB 132 was filed under the false assumption that parents making the decision to delay or decline a vaccine are not “educated” enough on the benefits and risks of vaccination. If these restrictive new barriers are not fully complied with to obtain this new vaccine exemption paperwork, the child will be denied an education. Bill supporters are trying to deflect criticism by claiming “all parents have to do is watch an online video” but nowhere does the bill limit the education requirement to simply watching an online video and it is not defined anywhere what effort it will take to actually obtain certification of completion of this education. Parents who fully vaccinate in ignorance of the risks of vaccination are not required to receive any education by the state under this bill or current state law. SB 132 was specifically requested by the Oregon Pediatric Society with the intention of making the vaccine exemption process more burdensome on parents. Let’s not forget what vaccines mean to the bottom line of pediatricians. Bill supporters are misleading legislators by misrepresenting vaccination and exemption rates in Oregon to make legislators incorrectly believe more parents are refusing all vaccines. That simply isn’t happening. The truth is, there is absolutely no immunization rate crisis in Oregon and there is no valid reason for putting unreasonable barriers between parents and vaccine exemptions. According to the CDC’s most recent National Immunization Survey (cdc.gov/vaccines/stats-surv/nis/data/tables_2011.htm), the individual vaccination rates for core vaccines in Oregon are already high and don’t justify government restrictions on vaccine exemptions: 3 DTaP – 92.5%, 4 DTaP – 76.6%, 3 Polio – 90.2%, 1 MMR – 90.6%, 3 Hib – 90.2%, 3 Hep B – 85.3%, 1 Varicella – 89.3%, 3 Pneumococcal – 90.2%. The vaccine most refused is the Hepatitis B vaccine and the 4th dose of the DPT vaccine. This slightly lowers the overall high vaccination rate since the overall rate calculated is how many kids have received all doses of all vaccines. Otherwise, Oregon’s rates are high. Please oppose SB 132. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME and ADDRESS] Robert Snee’s Commentary Opposing SB 132 Expediency is No Excuse for Violating Constitutional Rights: Oppose SB 132 The threats to our Constitutional Rights are all around us and are even coming from us. Just as “national security” is being used by the federal government to justify invading the privacy of citizens, the “greater good” is used to justify infringing upon the religious freedoms of Oregonians under proposed SB 132. SB 132 eliminates the specific religious exemption for mandatory vaccines and requires anyone who wishes to claim an exemption for any nonmedical reason, (including religious reasons)to obtain a signature from a health care practitioner that they have reviewed “approved” information on the risks and benefits of vaccines. During testimony on the bill before the House Rules Committee, proponents of the bill argued that many who claim an exemption based on “religion” aren’t truly “religious reasons.” I once believed that to be true. Since I do not belong to a church that teaches opposition to vaccines, at my request in 2001, SB 450 was introduced which would have added a philosophical exemption to mandatory vaccines. However, what I learned at the public hearing on that bill was of the wisdom of the drafters of the Administrative Rules defining “religion,” which protects Oregonian’s rights as set out in Article 3 of the Oregon Constitution. Article 3 provides, “No law shall in any case whatever control the free exercise, and enjoyment of religeous [sic] opinions, or interfere with the rights of conscience.” The Oregon Administrative Rules define “religion” as “any set of beliefs, practices, or ethical values.” The Oregon Health Department testified against SB 450 saying it was unnecessary since philosophical exemptions were protected under the Administrative definition of “religion.” The Administrative definition of “religion” encompasses the “rights of conscience.” SB 132 was specifically requested by the Oregon Pediatric Society with the intention of making the vaccine exemption process more burdensome on parents, not to ensure parents are better educated. There is no requirement in the bill that those who blindly follow the recommended vaccine protocol provide proof of the same education. Their hope is that parents will just give in and vaccinate their children rather than go through the trouble and expense of getting that signature. Let’s not forget what vaccines mean to the bottom line of pediatricians. If SB 132 passes, Oregonians wishing to claim an exemption, “religious” or otherwise of conscience, will be charged with yet another office visit to obtain the required signature and “education” on the risks and benefits of vaccines. To quote Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, “Whether or not I put my child’s life on the line for you and your vaccines is between me and my God and not between me and you, Doctor.” Proposed SB 132 clearly interferes and burdens the rights of conscience and will violate the Oregon Constitution if passed. As citizens, we must demand accountability of our government and demand our government protect our rights, not disregard them for “the greater good.” For more information, or to have your personal legislator’s contact information automatically displayed with a copy of this alert, please register with or sign in to the NVIC Advocacy Portal at NVICAdvocacy.org and link to the Oregon state team page. Sincerely, Dawn Richardson, Director of Advocacy National Vaccine Information Center NVIC.org and NVICAdvocacy.org [email protected]"
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:30:10 +0000