Public health officials have tied the rise in pertussis and measles to the lowering of the vaccination rate. If this trend continues, the immunity of the entire population is threatened (known as ‘herd immunity’). Dangerous communicable diseases will spread further, and will also affect people who have been vaccinated—those with weakened immune systems, the very young, the very old, and the like. This petition seeks to address falling vaccination rates by requiring all children to be vaccinated in order to attend Oregon schools unless they have a medical condition that precludes it.

The California Department of Public Health has reported a sharp rise in the incidence of pertussis (whooping cough) over the past four years, declaring this disease an epidemic in 2014. There was an outbreak of measles in 2014 as well. The Los Angeles Times and numerous other media sources have published data on vaccine rates in Southern California showing the widespread use of the “personal belief exemption” (CA Code 120365) by parents to excuse their children from mandatory vaccinations. Public health officials have tied the rise in pertussis and measles to the lowering of the vaccination rate. If this trend continues, the immunity of the entire population is threatened (known as ‘herd immunity’). Dangerous communicable diseases will spread further, and will also affect people who have been vaccinated—those with weakened immune systems, the very young, the very old, and the like. This petition seeks to address falling vaccination rates by requiring all children to be vaccinated in order to attend California schools unless they have a medical condition that precludes it.

We have a four month old son. We love Tribeca Pediatrics and are philosophically aligned with their approach to pediatric healthcare in many ways. However, it has come to our attention that over 100 active patients at the Fort Greene practice alone are anti-vaccinators. We are afraid of the risk posed to our baby by sharing space with these individuals, particularly in light of the fact that it is when babies are sick and vulnerable that they go to the doctor. Some important context: We have raised our concerns directly with the practice. They were extremely responsive, and sympathetic to our concerns, acknowledging that there is some risk involved, but they feel they have a better chance of educating anti-vaccinators if they continue to accept them. They also explained that the idea of separation is logistically difficult due to space constraints. We started this petition in the hopes that if enough people express interest in their doing so, they will consider creating some system for separation, despite the logistical difficulty in doing so. This petition was started by parents in Brooklyn, but it is an issue that affects us all. If you have a kid who goes to Tribeca Pediatrics, or simply think this issue is important and needs to be addressed, please sign.

I am a parent and a physician who not only cares for my own children but all others who are put at risk by parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids for nonmedical reasons. If we can ban peanuts in school because of one child, we can significantly reduce serious risk of infectious diseases to many more children.

According to the CDC, more than 2 million Americans now get sick from antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and 23,000 people die. The misuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry operations, which routinely mix huge quantities of antibiotics into the feed they give healthy animals, is one major reason these drugs are losing effectiveness. McDonald’s has tremendous power to change the food market and put an end to this dangerous practice.

The foreskin is not a birth defect. Circumcision is a permanent amputation of normal, healthy, sensitive tissue that serves important physiological functions and without which normal sexual performance and sensation can be impaired. During the 19th century, circumcision was promoted as an effective remedy for a host of ailments including but not limited to rheumatism, epilepsy, asthma, skin cancer, insanity, and venereal disease. But it was as a remedy for "masturbatory insanity" which was believed to result from masturbation or "self-abuse" that circumcision was most widely promoted by its supporters during the 19th century. These are the historical and pseudo-scientific roots of routine infant male circumcision as it is practiced in the U.S. today. Yet this petition is not about banning circumcision. It is about banning forced circumcision. It is about ending the practice of denying men the right to choose for themselves whether to be circumcised. There is no right more basic nor more important than the right to control one's own body. Forced infant circumcision violates that right. It is a human-rights violation because it deprives infants, boys and men of the right to determine what is done to their bodies. The campaign to end involuntary circumcision, like its sister campaign to eradicate female genital mutilation, is based on the simple idea that each individual, regardless of sex, has an innate right to control his or her own body. Thus, the effort to ban routine infant male circumcision is part of a greater human-rights struggle in the broadest sense. It is a crucial part of the effort to create a world in which all people's rights - infants, girls, boys, women, men, and intersex individuals - are respected.

Infant male circumcision has deprived millions of boys and men of their right of bodily integrity. It is a permanent amputation of normal, healthy tissue that serves important physiological functions and without which normal sexual function and sensation are impaired.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that teens start school no earlier than 8:30 AM. Schools that have met this standard are already enjoying the benefits of decreased rates of teen car accidents, substance abuse, obesity, depression, and anxiety – and better academic performance. All Massachusetts schools could enjoy similar success. Statewide support in the form of legislation will help Massachusetts communities mobilize to meet the goal of healthier school start times – and will help coordinate across-town scheduling for academic, athletic, and other competitions and events, which otherwise can be a logistical roadblock. Statewide legislation also avoids the barriers inherent in a piecemeal town-by-town effort, to ensure that the health and well being of our children remains paramount.

Having been personally affected by the impact of addiction through several family members, I see an immediate need for legislation to be passed. Not enough is being done to help addicts have a chance at a new life through proper long term recovery services.

I have chronic Lyme disease because my primary care doctor misidentified a tick on me, removed it, then refused a to allow testing for Lyme disease. I have been forced, due to the controversy over chronic Lyme disease, to face ridicule, disbelief, discrimination, inhumane treatment, loss of family, friends, and financial resources. The CDC and IDSA must recognize chronic Lyme disease and insurance companies must pay.

Even House Republicans now see the need for legislation to accept our tax money and provide health coverage for all Kansans. This will also create jobs. They can do it this session. We must INSIST that they do! Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence said, “I just think that we’re well past the time that we should be looking at how we develop a Kansas solution.” Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita (HB 2045) has been working tirelessly for this since last year. Now is the time! They have the power, now they just need the will. We can make sure they Expand Medicaid!

My oldest child, Nicholas Rossini, age 22, agreed to go to treatment in July 2014, after we had a family intervention. We spent two weeks of fighting with insurance company to keep him in treatment, but they ultimately denied coverage for further treatment. Nicholas would have stayed a year if he was not forced to leave based upon the insurance denial. He was so tired of living that way! Immediately preceding his untimely death, he got a job, got engaged and started a family. He was so happy! All seemed well until he got laid off in November. He became depressed, relapsed and died, January 4, 2015 from a heroin overdose. His child is due to be born July 5, 2015. My grandchild will never know his father. In addition to Nicholas, I have two other children. My son Anthony, 20, is a student at The University of Maine and my daughter Jessica is a sixth grader. Our family has been torn apart and we are all completely heartbroken. Every day in this country 119 people die from drug overdose, and another 6,748 are treated in emergency rooms. That averages out to an overdose related hospitalization every 13 seconds and an overdose death every 13 minutes. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, outstripping traffic fatalities or gun homicides. And every year it gets worse. In addition to the terrible human toll, substance abuse costs the U.S. economy over $600 billion annually. Effective treatment can dramatically reduce these costs. According to several conservative estimates, every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs, and theft. When savings related to healthcare are included, total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1. Major savings to the individual and to society also stem from fewer interpersonal conflicts; greater workplace productivity; and fewer drug-related accidents, including overdoses and deaths. My son Nicholas Rossini agreed to receive treatment for his addiction and after only a few short weeks in treatment his insurance company denied coverage for further treatment! Nicholas paid the ultimate price with his life base on this insurance denial. The Affordable Care Act must be amended to provide for a minimum of Ninety (90) days inpatient drug or alcohol treatment up to a maximum of One Hundred Eighty (180) days per year at a facility certified to provide such care by the Secretary of Health of the state in which it is located. Research tells us that effective inpatient treatment leads to long term sobriety and fewer relapses. In too many cases, the treatment was insufficient and, therefore, ineffective. The relapse rate for people suffering from addiction who have undergone only short-term detox is between 40 and 90 percent, and often ends with deadly consequences. I created this Petition in order to request the assistance of The Georgia State House, The Georgia State Senate, Governor Nathan Deal, The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama to engage in real and immediate action to fight and save the lives of people of our great nation who are battling this disease. This is an epidemic and one of the largest in history. It is my hope to use this to develop new programs with better long term success rates so that no other mother or family has to endure the heartache and grief that I experience daily since my son died. For these reasons, I respectfully request that you sponsor and enact the Proposed Amendments to the Affordable Care Act.