MN HF367, a bill which would allow day care providers to deny parents’ choice to skip one or more vaccines, or even delay them for their children, will have a hearing on Tuesday, March 19, at 8:30 am. Please contact your legislators today by clicking here.
If this bill passes, exemption rights that parents have long had in Minnesota would no longer apply for day care. Day care providers would have the right to deny parents the choice to skip any or all vaccines for their babies and toddlers.
The companion bill, SF610, had a hearing in the Senate HHS committee. After testimony, the bill was laid over, not voted on, but could be voted on at a later date, or folded into a larger bill.
It is essential that you make your views known to your legislators now. You can do that by clicking HERE to send the following letter to your state senator and representative:
Minnesota has a long history of honoring the right of parents to decide about medical care for their children, including the question of vaccinations. SF 610 and HF367 threaten to remove these choices from parents, by allowing childcare centers to require that all infants entering their care have received all vaccines on the schedule, by the recommended dates.
Parents who need to work to support their family need to have access to childcare. If childcare centers refuse access over vaccination decisions, the parents will be in a desperate situation.
Some parents follow all CDC recommended vaccines for their children, which means over 70 doses of vaccines for 16 different diseases by age 18. Some parents choose not to use vaccines for prevention, and some parents choose to have their child receive some vaccines but choose to skip others. Many parents choose to slow down the process, spacing the vaccines farther apart, to avoid vaccine injury.
Some parents have already witnessed vaccine injury in their child, and so are understandably choosing not to risk repeating injury, which is usually more severe the second time. If this bill passes, parents will be forced to follow a one-size-fits-all regimen which is too hard on some infants.
Vaccines do cause lifelong disability for some children. Many Minnesota children and their families are bearing the anguish of a child permanently harmed by a vaccine. Because vaccination is a medical procedure that entails risk, there must always be choice involved, for adults for our own bodies, and for parents for their children’s bodies.
Please continue Minnesota’s longtime policy of honoring parents’ decisions on their child’s health care.
To register, contact the Committee Administrator, Colie Colburn atcolie.colburn@house.mn.govat least 24 hours before the hearing.
Include the bill number, your name, title and/or organization where applicable, and whether your testimony will be in support of or opposition to the bill. Duration of testimony may be limited at the discretion of the Chair. Bear in mind that there are four other bills scheduled to be heard before HF367, so schedule your time accordingly!
Written testimonyis also important, so if you cannot attend the hearing, send your written testimony to the committee administrator: colie.colburn@house.mn.gov no later than 24 hours in advance of the hearing.
And please consider calling all of the representatives on the Children and Families Finance and Policy Committee (leave a message with their aide). Or email them. Here is the list for you: