When Deb Horning’s youngest daughter was five, she was vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, like many other kindergarteners. But unlike many of her other mothers, Horning had to stay away from her daughter for a week after her injection.
Horning, 51, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive cancer, in 2014. 27% over 20 years oldHorning had undergone chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, which had severely weakened his immune system. Because her MMR vaccine contains live virus, she was unable to vaccinate herself and she had to temporarily avoid vaccinating her daughter.
Now Horning worries about a Montana law that could put her and other immunocompromised people at even greater risk by making it easier for more people to opt out of routine vaccinations. .
“If they allow this and a significant number of people don’t vaccinate their children, it could spread to the community,” Horning said. Likewise, I am in real danger.”
2021, Montana passes House Bill 702 — Japan’s first — This prohibited discrimination based on vaccine status in settings such as employment, education and health care.Effectively bans private companies and local governments from requiring their employees to be vaccinated against any disease, not just covid-19. ruled that the law was unconstitutional In the medical field for lawsuits brought by hospitals, health care providers, and nurses. Two other lawsuits challenging HB 702 by private companies and other companies tribal nations, Pending.
This year, lawmakers introduced proposals to expand vaccine exemptions in schools and change workplace and legal standards.
Advocates for school-related measures include mothers who defend their rights as to whether or not to vaccinate their children. A nurse who argued that medical choices should be private. A day care instructor concerned about the relationship between vaccines and autism, discredited claims.
Some experts say these bills, like HB 702 two years ago, are an overreaction to the fear and anger surrounding the covid pandemic.
Those who promote vaccine exemptions on the grounds of parental rights and individual liberties should be honest about the consequences, said Kayson Schmidt, assistant professor of public health at Texas A&M University. As a result, more people could fall ill or die from preventable diseases, he said.
“We know what the consequences of these kinds of laws will be,” Schmidt said.
according to A study published in 2019 in the Journal of Expert Review of Vaccines, Exemptions for non-medical vaccines have increased in the US over the last 20 years
Vaccine medical exemptions are granted for conditions that may cause adverse reactions to vaccines, such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Non-medical types consist of religious, based on faithfully held religious beliefs, and exemptions of conscience, based on personal or moral beliefs.
According to Lauren Wilson, president of the Montana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, no state has implemented a waiver of conscience for childhood vaccines in the last 20 years.of State Legislative National Conference Fifteen states report philosophical exemptions.
Montana currently allows religious exemptions, but for K-12 school vaccinations, religious exemptions must be provided with a notarized affidavit, not conscience. A medical waiver must be signed by an authorized healthcare provider.
it will change below Senate Bill 450sponsored by Republican Senator Daniel Emlich, urges schools, employers, health care providers, state agencies, and other entities to grant religious or conscience immunity related to certain medicines, including vaccines, “without question or malice.” to “accept.” Entities that do not comply will lose state funds.
Religious or conscience immunity montana code: Varicella, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, rubella, mumps, measles preschool, and preschool influenza type B.
SB 450 also removes the requirement that a notarized affidavit be granted the waiver, allowing a signed letter or statement to suffice.
Proponents say SB 450 protects parents’ rights and the right to choose what they put in their bodies, and provides a legitimate reason to refuse vaccination, especially if they are not religious.
Opponents such as the Montana Families for Vaccines, the Montana Medical Association and Wilson said that states with immunity from conscience had the lowest vaccination rates.
“I think part of the problem is that the vaccine has fallen prey to its own success,” Wilson said. “There are many childhood diseases that have been eliminated for generations and people don’t remember.”
another measure, House Bill 715, requires schools to inform parents of which waivers are available through communications they already provide to students about vaccines. Originally, a conscience exemption for schools was also added, but it was removed from the bill.
Republican Congresswoman Jennifer Carlson, who sponsored both HB 715 and HB 702 in 2021, questioned whether HB 715 would have a significant impact on vaccination coverage. At her Feb. 27 legislative hearing, she said the state has a vaccination rate of 95% to 97% despite existing medical and religious exemptions.
in the 2018-19 school yearAccording to the Montana Department of Public Health, 96% of kindergarten children in Montana were vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella, and 3% were exempt because of religious exemptions.according to Centers for Disease Control and Preventionthe share dropped to nearly 93% of Montana’s kindergarteners in the 2020-21 school year.
Nationwide, about 94% of kindergarten children Two doses of the recommended dose of MMR vaccine were administered and 2% were not vaccinated due to non-medical exemptions.
Carlson emphasized that HB 715 is not about COVID and is not against vaccination, and said at the hearing that she and her five children were all vaccinated as children. I was.
“This bill is not about vaccine efficacy,” Carlson said.
Dr. Marian Kumar, a retired pediatrician and director of Montana Families for Vaccines, said she fears the state will be left vulnerable if HB 715 and SB 450 become law. rice field.
“There is concern about what will happen if they pass individual exemptions. Exemption rates will go up and more communities will be at risk of these disease outbreaks,” Kumar said. I got
To maintain immunity to measles, 95% of the population You should be fully vaccinated against the disease — have both MMR shots —. Kumar said states could fall below that threshold with more exemptions.
2021 Congress passed the law This eliminates the need to report vaccination coverage to the Montana Department of Public Health and Social Services and local health departments.
Democratic Rep. Ed Stafman drafted a bill It will boost vaccine and exemption reporting. Staffman said the increase in exemptions will lead to more outbreaks at some point, and data will be important.
“If the infection spreads here, we will face serious problems,” Staffman said.
at work, Senate Bill 369 You will need workers’ compensation insurance to cover side effects from employer-mandated vaccines.
and in court, House Bill 684 Prohibits the use of vaccination status as evidence or basis for decisions in cases of guardianship or custody. It also prevents vaccination status from being used as a factor in determining adoption criteria.
Republican Rep. Caleb Hinkle, who sponsored that bill, said including vaccination status in the evidence could lead to biased decisions because vaccination is politicized.
But Texas A&M’s Schmidt said the move could undermine a judge’s ability to make decisions in the child’s best interests.
Keely Larson is a KHN Fellow of the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Newspaper Association, and Kaiser Health News. Larson is a graduate student in environmental and natural resource journalism at the University of Montana.
