State Bills Attacking Vaccine Exemptions: A Seven Step Approach to Advocacy in your State
By Dawn Loughborough
Last Friday Maryland advocates celebrated victory over an extreme bill called HB0687 designed to remove religious exemptions for vaccination of school age children. Concerned families, physicians, and religious leaders came together over this past month to protect principles and request that the bill be dropped/opposed. Maryland delegates handled a barrage of communications coming from people from all walks of life who were concerned and opposed the bill.
The bill was withdrawn and the committee hearing cancelled. According to The Daily Record, on March 13, 2015, “A Prince George’s County delegate whose law practice includes representing clients who claim adverse reaction to vaccines has withdrawn a bill that would have removed a religious exemption to the state’s vaccination law.” The bill sponsor, Delegate Benjamin Barnes, went on to say that the bill was unnecessary in Maryland.
The movement has begun. Compassion is rising. Fear is falling. The people are in action. Here are seven steps to help you be effective in your state.
- Organize Proactively. Sign up for advocacy portals. The NVIC Advocacy Portal at www.nvic.org describes each bill on vaccines. Set up local social media groups to organize and find one another. Monitor and create a safe space to share information.
- Embrace Collaboration. Health is a conversation everyone owns. Join efforts with people who are have shared concerns. Reach out to people who believe in civil rights, freedom, personal choice, and those who stand up for medical autonomy. Use multiple forms of advocacy. Books and media – movies like “Trace Amounts” and “Bought” are excellent support for this work. Videos and memes help to educate and spread the message quickly.
- Show up. Email and call with the bill number and ask to speak to the representatives or their staff assigned to the bill. Find the contact information on your state government websites. If there are organizations backing the bill, go to them and ask them to reconsider. Find organizations that align and have them put out action alerts describing the bill and who to contact.
- Go Early. Learn the process for how a bill gets created and made into law in your state. Its best to oppose bills before they go to subcommittee. It gets more challenging to stop a bill as it moves through the stages to become a law. Ask bill sponsors for support to drop a bill. Ask for support to oppose. Add up who is for the bill and who is against. Go meet with them and build relatedness and ask them to represent your view with their vote. Let them know if you are in their party and in their district.
- Keep it Simple. Look for simple messages like “Oppose HB0687. This bill is extreme and unnecessary.” You can let them know that vaccine injury is real and is acknowledged by the Federal 1986 Childhood Immunization Act that set up the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and released vaccine manufacturers and doctors from liability. Go in to visit the offices and take 3-4 points to educate representatives and their staff. Be professional, knowledgeable with sources and polite. These offices are bombarded with many issues. Don’t expect them to know your issue well. Ask for baseline safety studies and highlight that the Institute of Medicine recognizes gaps in science around vaccine adverse events.
- Create Relatedness. Hold government representatives accountable to the people not some special interest. Find out who is involved in sponsoring the bill. Ask local journalists to write about your efforts. Contact watchdog organizations. The blame needs to shift from parents to the agencies responsible for vaccine safety.
- Play Full Out to Win. Organize people giving testimony at hearings. Prepare a panel of medical professionals, a panel of religious leaders, a panel of consumer advocates, and parents of vaccine injured children. Meet and practice testimonies so as to coordinate and not have people saying the same thing over and over. Encourage people to be self expressed and engaged in the process. Be committed but not attached to an outcome.
As de Tocqueville wrote during our country’s early years as a nation: Americans are a different breed! I treasure our nation, its people, its principles and the institutions that were created to support those principles. Today Maryland celebrates the extraordinary people who came together to support this movement to protect freedom, parental rights, and medical autonomy. Well done!
Dawn Loughborough is the mother of three children; two experienced adverse events from their childhood vaccines. Dawn is committed to the well being of children and has been advocating on behalf of the vaccine injured child since 1998. She is president of the DAIR Foundation and her family is featured in the movie documentary "Bought" a Jeff Hays Film Production.
Jeannette,
It just occurred to me, maybe parents should make a tape recording of their vaccine discussion with the doctor, and then, if a reaction occurs, replay it to see if the doctor recognized that this is a reaction that might well occur. If he didn't, wham! wipe him out!
Posted by: cia parker | March 17, 2015 at 08:10 PM
Thanks for your reply bayareamom. I'm learning.
Posted by: greyone | March 17, 2015 at 07:06 PM
"If the state mandates vaccination, as opposed to suggests, shouldn't the state and the politicians who voted for it and public health officials and schools who enforce it be liable for damages in court?"
http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/vaccine-program-readmore
The answer to your question is no.
Posted by: Bayareamom | March 17, 2015 at 04:58 PM
If the state mandates vaccination, as opposed to suggests, shouldn't the state and the politicians who voted for it and public health officials and schools who enforce it be liable for damages in court? I am naive about the vaccine courts law, so forgive my ignorance on this issue.
Posted by: greone | March 17, 2015 at 10:26 AM
Thanks, Bayareamom. I do wonder if the form currently required poses a bit of a liability for physicians who sign it. I was thinking liability for physicians who falsely represent vaccine risks, though I suppose a case for liability for understated vaccine risk information is not likely to come up (unless maybe a patient/parent later decides to get vaccinated after the form is signed and suffers an unexpected adverse event). The risk for supporting parent choice is probably more real, though maybe less rooted in use of the legal system.
But still I wonder if some were seeing a potential backfire in requiring "vaccine education" forms (I don't know, like maybe a few physicians learning more than their med school covered).
These stated current motives don't add up to me, not to mention the history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td0bTkSBy1s
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | March 16, 2015 at 07:14 PM
@Jeannette Bishop:
Here is what my attorney husband states re your question:
"A discussion of benefits and risks is only required in order to use the PBE, which will no longer exist if SB 277 is enacted. SB 277 only modifies that specific section of the Health and Safety code and it does not affect other requirements, if any, which require doctors to provide a summary of risks and benefits."
-Kim
Posted by: Bayareamom | March 16, 2015 at 05:30 PM
Shoould be required to include an advocate for those who have been vaccine injured on any and all vaccine "advisory and guideline panels".
Posted by: greyone | March 16, 2015 at 02:50 PM
Repost attempt of some of my first comment (AoA has been crashing for me so I'm assuming it wasn't moderated out?):
For those who may be interested in California's state legislation:
https://www.change.org/p/california-governor-stop-sb277-forced-vaccinations-to-attend-daycare-school-in-california?source_location=petition_footer&algorithm=promoted
I just became aware of this part:
"SB277 also removes the language requiring the doctor to educate the patient of the benefits and the risks of the vaccine."
More evidence that Pan's earlier legislation requiring vaccine "education" and signature on an exemption form was not about education?
Does removing that recent step protect professionals from liability for failure to provide accurate information when they sign a form that states that they have?
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | March 16, 2015 at 02:41 PM
@Bob, the recent Canadian study showing 40% are uncertain about vaccine science and fully 20% believe a connection between vaccinations and autism, shows us that they are definitely LOSING.
@Jeanette- SB 277- vaccination: educate yourself about real risks/benefits.
Posted by: Check out the GreenMedInfo article on NACCHO | March 16, 2015 at 02:29 PM
I also think that time is on our side. At this time, the politicians were all children before the vaccine and autism/autoimmune epidemics, and their mind is inalterably shaped by the smallpox/polio narratives of deadly diseases and lifesaving vaccines to the rescue. Every day more parents and many of those they know come to the realization of vaccine injury the hard way, and they never go back. Although on the other hand it's also true that most of those I know who were children or had children before the late '80s remember when autism was unheard of. Can Big Vaccinia persuade the masses that autism has always been around and in the same numbers as now? Never mind, they already have. Well, it's going to be an exciting spectacle for many years to come.
Posted by: cia parker | March 16, 2015 at 02:17 PM
I believe mercury in toddler flu shots has only been made illegal in 7 states, IA, MO, Il, CA, NY, WA, & DE.
How can OTHER STATES then mandate the same vaccines?
Thank goodness we have …Federal guidelines… for cantaloupe production, which is not simply left up the whims of various state legislators.
Posted by: cmo | March 16, 2015 at 01:43 PM
Adding to my last comment...
I don't know if it makes a good slogan:
"SB 277 shows vaccination is not about education?"
"SB 277, some doctors fear vaccine education....?"
...but I think it's something that voters should not miss.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | March 16, 2015 at 11:49 AM
'Folks' not 'focus' for my last post.
Posted by: Greg | March 16, 2015 at 10:29 AM
Greg,
It isn't just Pharma, it's a collaboration that includes our government.
http://archive.hhs.gov/nvpo/pubs/DELFAB.pdf
Posted by: Linda1 | March 16, 2015 at 10:19 AM
Bob, I must disagree with your comment that time is on pharma's side. With each passing day more kids are injured by vaccines, more are aged out of school, and, yes, normal focus observing these trends research the vaccines-autism connection more. Such research will invariable lead to more vaccine hesitancy, and eventually push things towards a tipping point. This is what pharma are really frighten of and why they feel the need to act swiftly and decisevely. Mandates aren't so much about killing the anti-vaxx movement (some, including me, would argue that this is impossible), but them avoiding inevitable destruction if things continue unchecked.
Posted by: Greg | March 16, 2015 at 08:58 AM
Patricia - sorry to be pedantic , but you are not a UK citizen .
You are a "subject" of the crown , as am I .
However I'd argue whether the UK is a separate sovereign state anymore or in fact a satellite state of the US .
And I fully expect the population of the UK to be tested , just like the citizerns of the US . They will try mandatory vaccination in the UK in the very near future .
In the UK such is the level of state censorship , we are still waiting for the BBC to mention the name "William Thompson" .
It is nine months and counting now .And we have been plagued with endless vaccine & autism misinformation by the main stream media for at least a decade (led by the BBC) .
And Patricia , why dont you try researching the vaccination schedule of the Royal family ? I wonder did Prince Phillip who has been preaching the need for a "human cull" for 40+ years take his annual flu vaccination with themiserol this year .
Posted by: Who is William Thompson ? | March 16, 2015 at 08:42 AM
Being a UK citizen I am watching this debate with great concern. The phrase 'herd immunity' now strikes a note of insane desperation it seems to me. The idea of mandatory vaccination does NOT sit well with the UK government BTW. No way!
This planet is now a global economy and true globalisation is not far off - but with all of this comes freedom of movement and an even more massive tourism industry. If America does go down the road of pro mandatory vaccines, may I respectfully ask what will occur with all its visitors i.e. the great MMR UNvaxed being the prime example?
Nothing could be more apt than having Orlando as the entry point to a scenario the Government will face if this Bill is passed in Florida for example.
Or is there an even more sinister global vaccination programme being constructed as we speak? Yes of course there is. I am struck dumb with horror frankly.
Posted by: patricia | March 16, 2015 at 07:02 AM
All excellent advice on organizing opposition to pending legislation that seeks to deny parents their humanitarian right to "informed consent".
Indeed, if the advice given can be implemented as suggested .. all year round .. the issue of "informed consent" will become a national political issue ... such as .. abortion, gun control, etc .. thereby requiring politicians campaigning for office to declare their position on "who decides what vaccines a child is required to receive .. the politician seeking our votes .. or .. the child's parents."
I suspect many politicians are already reconsidering their support for denying parents exemptions .. based solely upon the strong opposition in those States that .. more than likely thought .. (during the media generated "measles" hysteria) .. denying exemptions would be a "slam dunk" for them.
If nothing else .. any politician that continues proposing legislation to deny exemptions .. must know they will be subject to campaign questions regarding any "conflicts of interest" they have .. such as .. to name just one of many more .. lucrative campaign contributions by pharma industry.
In my humble opinion .. the pharma industry is not going to stop its' all out war against vaccine exemptions .. they will simply regroup .. and .. patiently wait for the next "crisis" .. (hopefully not something as frightening as an EBOLA outbreak) .. that creates a better "opportunity" for them to succeed.
After all .. time is on their side ..
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | March 16, 2015 at 06:19 AM