By Davian Koren
Two bills, S.F. 3439 and S.F. 4458, are passing through senate committees right now, and both, if passed, will take away parents’ ability to make medical decisions for their children.
What are these bills, and why are they important?
S.F. 3439 would remove the religious/conscientious exemption for the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella). This bill would apply to every child between the ages of 15 months and 18 years, including all children in private, public, and home school.
S.F. 4458 is pushing something even more extreme: this bill would eliminate the religious/conscientious exemption for ALL vaccines (for the age range I had listed above), leaving only medical exemptions.
There are many reasons why this is wrong.
Parents should be allowed to raise their kids according to their values and have the freedom to be able to do what’s best for their individual child. Vaccines are by no means a one size fits all; all of us are in different situations and states of health, and should be treated accordingly.
In addition to that, it would mean that I, as a minor, am not able to have any say on what goes into my body. It doesn’t matter if I don’t want to get vaccinated, the government is the one that gets to dictate whether or not I get the shot.
These bills mean to take decisions that should belong to parents and families, and give that power to the government instead. Our children do not belong to the state.
It also completely removes informed consent. It doesn’t matter if you know or understand what’s in any of the vaccines, their adverse effects, or if you do or don’t want those things in your body, or whether you believe that they’re beneficial to you or your children’s health. Regardless of your stance on the issue, it wouldn’t matter, because they’ll just force you to get the shot(s) anyway.
It’s also worth noting that vaccine manufacturers are the only companies that are immune to getting sued, as of 1986 legislation under Reagan.² This means that when there are issues with vaccines, we can’t actually sue the companies that make them. This removes accountability. And when it comes to vaccine trials, the vaccine manufacturers aren’t required to make public the raw data that’s associated with the trial (primary source data) – this is only available to the FDA and the CDC, who are heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical companies.
Getting rid of the religious exemption to getting immunizations also conflicts with the 1st Amendment, which protects our freedom of religion.¹ We should be able to live according to our values and beliefs, and not be forced to get injections by our government. And even if it doesn’t conflict with your religion, you should be able to say no. (Hence why it’s also known as a conscientious exemption and not always as a religious exemption.)
In addition to all the things I’ve talked about so far, passing these bills would also open the door for other freedoms to be taken away. It’s a very slippery slope; having anyone be able to dictate what chemicals go into your body. Do you really want the government to have the ability to make your medical decisions for you? And who knows when it would go further than that? Patients must have a right to refuse care or treatments.
If S.F. 3439 and S.F. 4458 were to pass, it would leave little options for dissenters.
With how these bills are structured, defying them would eventually mean that the government would be able to take children away from parents with the justification of medical neglect. (It falls under truancy laws regardless of whether the child attends school or homeschool).
Anyone that doesn’t agree with the new laws would have to either compromise on their values and principles and get the shots, uproot their family and move out of state to somewhere with different laws, or simply break the rules and face the consequences.
Both of these bills are a major infringement on our rights, and should not be passed.
Sources:
- constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/
- www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/house-bill/5546.
Davian Koren is a homeschooled high school student, one of 10 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 27th year.
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