Helt co-sponsors bill to end non-medical vaccine exemptions

To combat the preventable spread of infectious disease, Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, announced Friday that she will co-sponsor House Bill 3063, which would end non-medical vaccination exemptions for children in Oregon.

Helt said she supports the change due to the recent outbreak of measles among children in the Portland area and because she wants to combat the growing, but misguided, public sentiment that medically safe vaccinations are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent.

“I believe in science, the safety of our children and in sensible, fact-based public policy,” Helt said.

“We should close this loophole that places children, families and communities at risk of illness and death from diseases that were nearly eliminated just a generation ago,” she added. “Responsible citizens do not have the right to risk the safety of others, particularly children, due to misinformation and fear.

“This proposal will save lives and will combat the disgraced idea that medically safe vaccinations pose a greater risk to public health than the dangerous diseases that they are proven to prevent,” Helt said.