ALBANY, New York—On a blistering-hot morning, June 10, a group of about 100 vocal parents gathered near the capitol in Albany to support three assembly bills and protest a subsequent one. Among the protesters were doctors, nutritionists, parents of autistic children who had been vaccinated, and parents of children who had never been vaccinated.
The parents strongly supported bill A5468—introduced by New York state Assemblyman Marc S. Alessi (also Senate bill S3031)—which would enable parents to refuse immunizations based on philosophical reasons. Currently, in New York, immunizations for children can only be refused based on religious or medical reasons.
Dr. Lynn Friedman, a chiropractor from Clarkstown, was denied a religious exemption for her son in kindergarten. She brought a suit against the school, the state health department, and the principal. She had to submit all her medical and dental records for 10 years and went through a "grueling year" of depositions only to have her case denied because she had used pharmaceutical drugs a few times in extreme cases, such as one Motrin for her son's very high fever. Her son, now 12, has never been vaccinated and goes to private school.
Assemblyman Alessi, addressing his enthusiastic supporters, said the reason he introduced this bill was that several parents had complained to him that their school districts had put them on a "witch trial" when they tried to get religious exemptions.
"Back then, I felt this might be a problem in terms of freedom of religion and separation of religion and state. … So we are looking to a philosophical [exemption]," he said.
Stating he had researched many studies, Alessi continued, "I have a lot of questions about the protocols this state mandates with regard to vaccines. I'm a parent. I have two young children, and I had to make that choice—whether or not to vaccinate."
Another part of A5468 permits parental involvement in medical decisions. Alessi elaborated: "Medical decisions should be made by the patient and the doctor or pediatrician. Decisions should be made on behalf of the child by their parent and not by the state of New York."
Assembly bill 10942, which may have been introduced as a reaction to Alessi's bill, would require all children to receive immunizations according to federal guidelines, including immunizations that have yet to be recommended. Included was a mandate for a new vaccine for meningitis to be given to 7th graders and to all college students, and permission for health-care professionals to give "at risk" children under 18 vaccines against sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent. This would include Gardasil, which has serious side effects, but is still approved by the CDC.
Currently, immunizations are mandated according to New York state law, not federal guidelines. A10942 would put the power of determining which immunizations to give on appointed officials, that is, the Department of Health, rather than elected officials.
There are also two other bills that have been introduced regarding immunizations: A3064 (and S1563) would require state and local officials to accept a parent's sworn affidavit as sufficient grounds for religious exemption, rather than the current situation wherein parents may be required by state or local officials to prove their religious convictions.
Additionally, A3180 (and S1575) has been introduced to allow physicians to grant medical exemptions to immunizations without the very stringent requirements that currently exist. Also, physician exemptions would no longer be subject to review by the state Department of Health.
This summer there will be round-table discussions in various areas of the state to look into all the studies that are out there, both for and against mandated vaccines.
Reference:
Gardasil FDA Update - 3 Deaths Reported
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