The House Health and Human Services Committee debated House Bill 2094, which would allow a child to be exempt from required immunizations or inoculations for reasons of conscience or personal beliefs. The parent or guardian must provide a written statement declaring the exemption. Currently, only religious and medical exemptions are allowed by statute.The proposal was brought forward by Kansans for Vaccine Rights, a group composed primarily of parents. They argued that parents should retain the right to determine what vaccines their children should receive. Many parents who wish to opt out of certain mandatory vaccinations are unable to cite religious reasons because their religion does not specifically oppose immunizations.
Opponents, primarily medical experts and public health advocates, contend that mandatory inoculations are vital to stemming the spread of disease. The state epidemiologist for the Kansas health department testified that there is a direct link between exempted vaccines and reported disease rates. He cited 14 studies that show so-called personal belief exemptions increase the risk of disease outbreaks and noted that disease outbreaks in schools have tended to occur in communities where there are more vaccination exemptions. It was noted that an exemption for personal belief is so broad that it would virtually eliminate the effectiveness of the overall immunization law.
The parents who want to opt out of immunizations should be prepared to home school their children. I hope never again to care for a child post polio or post Diphtheria. It is not pretty