C.O. parents rally against end to non-medical vaccine exemptions

Parents staged a rally in Bend’s Drake Park on Saturday, one of several held around the state to oppose legislation that would end non-medical vaccination exemptions for students who attend public or private schools.

House Bill 3063 would eliminate current religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions and affect the families of more than 31,000 Oregon children.

Participants in the rally, one of five held around the state on Saturday, wore yellow shirts that said ” Land of the Free, Not With HB 3063 ” and held signs promoting similar messages.

Organizers said the argument is not whether they are for or against vaccines, but that parents should have the ability to make crucial health decisions for their child, without government interference or consequences.

” This is not a vaccine issue — this is a freedom issue, ” parent April Groom said, standing beside her son. ” It’s about who owns our bodies, and who gets to decide what gets injected into his arm. ”

Also on Saturday, state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, one of the measure’s chief sponsors, issued a statement laying out recent changes to the bill. She said the recent measles outbreaks among children in Portland and Clark County, Wash., ” underscore the importance of this legislation. ”

Helt said she “wants to combat the pervasive public sentiment that medically safe vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they prevent. ”

“I will continue to stand for science, the safety of Oregon children and for fact-based public policy, ” Helt said. “We must ensure that children, families and communities are not put at risk of illness and death from easily preventable diseases. This is about protecting those who don’t have the option to get vaccinated. We must protect our most vulnerable youth through herd immunity. ”

After several meetings with opponents of the measure, Helt said she “has amended the bill to address some of their concerns like: limiting the scope of the bill to contain only currently required vaccines in Oregon, opening up attendance for virtual schools, and extending time to fully vaccinate students until Aug. 1, 2020, ” rather than take effect this fall.

Helt said she is also working with state Sen. Steiner Hayward “to address concerns about the accessibility of medical exemptions. ” The bill is currently in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, awaiting further action.

The amended bill, HB 3063-A, lists 10 “restrictable diseases, ” parents could not decline required immunizations for, including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, rubella, mumps and hepatitis A and B. The Oregon Health Authority could recommend other diseases children should be immunized against.

The measure would prohibit children without such immunizations “from attending in-person school-related activities” but says they could attend school through online courses.