A bill being heard in the Missouri legislature would allow parents to submit a new kind of objection to vaccinations.
House bill 37 creates the ability for parents to provide a “conscientious objection” form as a valid reason their child isn’t vaccinated to public schools and institutions.
Previously, a religious or medical exemption to vaccinations have been the only accepted forms, but under the proposed bill, parents who don’t want their child vaccinated for personal reasons will be able to enroll them in public schools under conscientious objection.
Garrett Webb, who spoke on behalf of the Missouri Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in opposition of the bill, says relaxing vaccination requirements across the country has resulted in outbreaks of serious diseases.
“We've seen measles outbreaks in places like southwest Missouri, in North Carolina, and California and Texas, in places where large groups of children who are not immunized might be attending school. And it affects the entire community.”
Supporters of the bill say parents have the right to object to vaccinations, and that current requirements are unconstitutional.