CALL TO ACTION
Posted over 2 years ago by Julie Huron
ALERT!
WV Nurses, CALL TO ACTION!
Please call and email the WV Senators listed below and ask them to vote NO on SB 535.
February 1, 2023, Senate Bill 535 was introduced and creates religious and philosophical exemptions for school attendance vaccines. The most concerning aspect of this bill is that there is only one step to obtain a nonmedical exemption: for the parent/guardian to submit a letter requesting the nonmedical exemption at school entry. In short, obtaining a nonmedical exemption would be far easier than vaccinating one’s child.
Research shows that states that have weakened their immunization laws have also had outbreaks of diseases once eradicated. These outbreaks have been traced to children with non-medical exemptions.
This bill concerns immunizing children against chickenpox, hepatitis-b, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus, and whooping cough. These diseases have been eradicated due to high vaccination rates.
If passed, this bill will:
- Allow nonmedical exemptions to school and childcare center immunization requirements;
- Remove provisional enrollment for immunization requirements; and
- Remove the medical exemption review process.
There are 13 sponsors, and it has been referred to only one committee. This bill will begin advancing soon, and we need your voice to prevent it from doing so.
The following is a sample message that can be used for phone calls:
“Good afternoon, my name is ___ and I (insert relevant information as applicable… am a healthcare provider, a parent with a child(ren)I am calling to ask you to vote NO on Senate Bill 535, which will result in reduced immunization rates and allow dangerous, yet preventable diseases like polio, measles and whooping cough to return to our schools and state.”
Here is sample text that can be used in an email:
Subject Line – Please Vote NO on SB 535 – Protect our Kids, Keep Schools Open and Safe, and Our Economy Strong.
“Dear Honorable Senator/Delegate (insert legislator’s last name),
I (insert relevant information as applicable… am a healthcare provider, a parent with a child(ren). I am emailing to ask you to vote NO on SB535. Our state has one of the nation's most effective school immunization policies. Over the last several years, four states (California, New York, Maine and Connecticut) have mirrored their school immunization requirements on ours after their states experienced outbreaks of measles that resulted in schools to be shut down and hospitalizations. West Virginia would be moving backward if this bill is enacted, as states are following our lead on this important matter.
West Virginia law currently allows for medical exemptions. Allowing nonmedical exemptions will undoubtedly result in reductions in our state’s immunization rates, allow preventable diseases that we have worked hard to eliminate to return to our state, and put our school students, school personnel, and their families at risk for these diseases. Currently, only 15 states allow for philosophical exemptions for children whose parents object to immunizations.
If this bill passes, this will lead to school shutdowns due to measles, whooping cough, or polio (to name a few) low vaccination rates. Low vaccination rates not only affect the unvaccinated but if immunization thresholds fall below 95% for measles, and below 80% or polio, essentially if 5% of parents decide not to immunize their child against measles or 20% of parents decide not to immunize their child against polio, not only will it spread to unvaccinated but will also spread to those vaccinated.
As a healthcare provider, I have not seen whooping cough, measles or polio in decades due to West Virginia’s strong laws. This law is concerning and devastating for our state’s health, education system, and economy.
In 2019, 31 states had measles cases that resulted in thousands of confirmed cases that resulted in hospitalizations and the shutdown of schools and daycares. During the widespread measles outbreaks, WV did not have a single case. In the last month, a measles outbreak in Ohio among unvaccinated children who could not be vaccinated due to the age limit resulted in 85 confirmed cases, and 34 of those cases required hospitalization.
Our state law has saved lives by maintaining high immunization rates among school-age children. We are very proud of this accomplishment! West Virginia has been doing this right for years, and we want to keep doing it right.
Please Vote NO on SB 535.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Please share this information and let other parents, family members, and colleagues be aware of this potential bill, that even their vaccinated child could be exposed to eradicated diseases, like measles, mumps, whooping cough/pertussis, and polio.
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Senator |
Jason |
Barrett |
304-357-7933 |
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President |
Craig |
Blair |
304-357-7801 |
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Chairwoman |
Donna |
Boley |
304-357-7905 |
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Senator |
Mike |
Caputo |
304-357-7691 |
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Chairman |
Charles |
Clements |
304-357-7827 |
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Chairman |
Bill |
Hamilton |
304-357-7906 |
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Senator |
Mark |
Hunt |
304-357-7841 |
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Senator |
Glenn |
Jeffries |
304-357-7866 |
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Chairman |
Michael |
Maroney |
304-357-7902 |
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Chairman |
Eric |
Nelson Jr. |
304-357-7854 |
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Senator |
Michael |
Oliverio II |
304-357-7919 |
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Senator |
Robert |
Plymale |
304-357-7937 |
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Senator |
Ben |
Queen |
304-357-7904 |
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Chairman |
Rollan |
Roberts |
304-357-7831 |
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Senator |
David |
Stover |
304-357-7807 |
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Senator |
Mike |
Stuart |
304-357-7939 |
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Senator |
Tom |
Takubo |
304-357-7990 |
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Chairman |
Charles |
Trump IV |
304-357-7880 |
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Chairman |
Ryan |
Weld |
304-357-7984 |
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Chairman |
Jack David |
Woodrum |
304-357-7849 |
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Senator |
Michael A. |
Woelfel |
304-357-7956 |