by National Vaccine Information Center
Just before Christmas, the powerful Pharma-Public Health-Medical Trade lobby launched an orchestrated attack in Ohio and Michigan to restrict the legal rights of parents to make voluntary choices about vaccination for their children. NVIC was able to warn parents in Ohio in time for them to take action and protect vaccine exemptions, but forced vaccination proponents in Michigan pulled a fast one and succeeded in gutting vaccine informed consent rights in that state.
Ohio Citizens Take Action
During the first week in December, NVIC issued an Action Alert via the online NVIC Advocacy Portal and NVIC Newsletter warning that the forced vaccination lobby was pressuring Ohio state legislators to create new vaccine requirements for daycare attendance and require parents to get approval from a doctor or other state designated medical worker before filing non-medical vaccine exemptions for children. Ohio residents responded to NVIC’s call to action, which was reposted on Facebook and through different online forums including the Mercola Newsletter, Health Impact News, Autism Action Network and others.
Ohio Vaccine Exemptions Protected
Although Ohio legislators did pass a law (HB 394) in December that requires children attending daycare to get every CDC recommended vaccination while also giving pharmacists the green light to administer vaccines, legislators were responsive to protests from Ohio citizens defending non-medical vaccine exemptions. The new law leaves non-medical religious and conscientious belief vaccine exemptions intact, with one Ohio lawmaker emphasizing during floor debates the need for “flexibility and protections for people’s rights in their personal beliefs.” Another legislator stated “the same exemptions that apply today for entrance to kindergarten would still apply for those kids entering licensed child care facilities… so for those parents who have a religious or conscientious objection, they still may do that.”
Michigan Health Officials Abuse Rule Making Authority
In contrast to Ohio, where the public was allowed to participate in the lawmaking process, Michigan state health department officials abused their rule making authority so they could fly under the radar to limit citizen participation and sneak vaccine exemption filing changes through the back door. Without notifying long-recognized vaccine stakeholders, such as Michigan Opposing Mandatory Vaccines and NVIC, and without any legislative hearings, state health officials quietly gutted the non-medical vaccine exemption filing process by burying a rule change notice in on page 166 of a 240-page document published in the Nov. 1, 2014 Michigan Register.
As of Jan. 1, 2015, Michigan parents filing a non-medical exemption form for their children first will be required to ask a health department official to certify that they have received one-sided state vaccine “education.” Without that health department “certification,” a non-medical vaccine exemption will not be accepted by a day care facility, school or other state-funded activity program.
NVIC Opposes New Michigan Rule
NVIC State Advocacy Director Dawn Richardson said: “In Michigan, state health officials abused their rule making privileges and failed to adequately inform the public and solicit feedback from families negatively impacted by restriction of non-medical vaccine exemptions. The Michigan legislature should make it a priority in the new session to quickly rescind the new rule, which endorses state-sanctioned discrimination against and coercion, harassment and intimidation of families making informed vaccine choices by assuming they are ignorant and in need of re-education.”
Stand Up in Michigan and Your State Today!
Learn more about what NVIC is going to do in Michigan in the New Year and what YOU can do in Michigan and other states to protect vaccine exemptions by signing up today to use the free online NVIC Advocacy Portal. As a Portal user, you will receive email updates about vaccine legislation pending in your state and have direct electronic access to your own state legislators so you can make your voice heard. You will also have immediate access to NVIC Advocacy Portal updates as vaccine bills move through the legislative process.
No matter what state you live in, please understand that the forced vaccination lobby could descend on your state unannounced in the coming year. Be prepared to fight back by being among the first to get NVIC Action Alerts about proposed changes to vaccine laws in your state and learn what you can do about it.
Share Your Vaccine Reaction, Failure and Harassment Experiences
Please take a few moments to report your own vaccine reaction, failure and harassment experiences to NVIC so we can share them with legislators and post them on NVIC.org to prevent vaccine injuries and deaths and help advocate for reform of vaccine policies and laws in the U.S. It is easy to make a report to NVIC through the online reporting forums on NVIC.org:
NVIC Vaccine Reaction Registry
Make a Year-End Tax-Deductible Gift to NVIC
A non-profit charity founded in 1982, NVIC works all year around to empower citizens in every state to become educated about vaccination and secure and protect the legal right to make voluntary vaccine decisions without being sanctioned for the decision made.
Please make an online tax-deductible donation to NVIC here. Thank you for whatever amount you can give.
Happy New Year!
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