"In New Jersey, the number of children in pre-kindergarten through high school who cited religion as an excuse to avoid vaccines grew from 1,641 in the 2005-06 academic year to just under 14,000 in the 2018-19 year. Of these, 8,348 children were enrolled in pre-kindergarten, according to state Department of Education data." - nj.com
Parents citing religious concerns as a reason to not vaccinate their children is rapidly becoming more widespread in our state.
This is being framed as a "personal / medical choice" issue; however, it is a public health issue. Until 2018, measles was all but gone in North America; now there are outbreaks in California and right here in NJ. Measles, which is often framed as a "harmless childhood disease", can have serious complications, including lifelong disabilities and pneumonia (which can lead to death). This is especially true if someone sick with measles is malnourished or immunocompromised.
The bill is not about "forced vaccines". The bill is about making sure that children who are at higher risk due to lack of vaccination, are not spreading VPD (vaccine-preventable diseases) to other peoples' children. It is about protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our population, such as kids who are immunocompromised and legitimately can't receive vaccines. Ideally, this bill will open up further dialogue between parents and doctors, so that healthcare providers can better answer parents' questions and assist them in determining what is reliable information and what is not.
The anti-vaccination crowd has come out in full force in NJ, harassing legislators and making verbal / digital personal attacks. The protesting outside Senate has been so loud that you can barely hear what's going on inside the building. The bill has been dropped once already and passed over yesterday as lawmakers have caved to the hysteria and bullying. We can't simply let this go.
The medical community is overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines. And this is who we should be listening to - not conspiracy theorists and Del Bigtree.
I think it is also important to note, that there are almost no major religions that object to vaccinations. The vaccines manufactured and given now are very far away from the aborted fetal cell lines that they were once grown in. (See second link at the bottom for an article / example of this from a Christian viewpoint).
This is not a slippery slope and it's not about taking away our freedom. Parental fear and misinformation does not supercede a child's right to a healthy life. Other states have done this; now it's our turn.
Support bills A3818 and S2173. We have laws about child car seats. It's time to toughen up the laws about childhood immunization and keep NJ's vaccine rates high. Children have the right to be protected against disease.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-019-0354-3
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-christians-should-know-vaccines/
