Assemblyman Abinanti Sponsors Vaccination Exemption Bill

Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti (D-Greenburgh/Mount Pleasant) has co-sponsored a bill in Albany that would give parents the opportunity to exempt their children from vaccinations.

The proposed bill, number A00943, would allow parents to not vaccinate their children based on philosophical grounds. Those children could still attend school provided the parents make their objection known on a form. Such exemptions are allowed in 19 states, according to Capital New York.

The bill comes at a time when 14 states have reported measles outbreaks, and national advocacy group Autism Speaks is recommending parents vaccinate their children. Some parents over the past 15 years had stopped vaccinating their children, pointing to a now debunked study that vaccinations were linked to autism, according to ABC News.

“Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism,” said Rob Ring, Chief Science Officer for Autism Speaks, in a statement. “The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism. We urge that all children be fully vaccinated.”

One of the 19 states that has a philosophical exemption, California, is now considering ending that option, in part because of the measles outbreak, writes Long Beach Patch.

“I’ve personally witnessed the suffering caused by these preventable diseases and I am very grateful to the many parents that are now speaking up and letting us know that our current laws don’t protect their kids,” said California state Sen. Richard Pan, who is also a pediatrician.

Referred to as the “philosophical exemption to immunizations act,” the New York proposal states the following:

In the event that a person in parental relation to a child makes application for admission of such child to a school or has a child attending school and there exists no certificate or other acceptable evidence of the child’s immunization against poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, diphtheria, rubella, varicella, hepatitis B, pertussis, tetanus, and, where applicable, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal disease, the principal, teacher, owner or person in charge of the school shall inform such person of the necessity to have the child immunized, that such immunization may be administered by any health practitioner, or that the child may be immunized without charge by the health officer in the county where the child resides, if such person executes a consent therefor AND PROVIDE A FORM CITING OTHER OPTIONS OF COMPLIANCE AS NOTED IN THIS SECTION. In the event that such person does not wish to select a health practitioner to administer the immunization, [he or she shall be provided with a form which] THE PROVIDED FORM shall give notice that as a prerequisite to processing the application for admission to, or for continued attendance at, the school such person shall state a valid reason for withholding consent, OR CHECK A FIXED STATEMENT PRE-PRINTED ON THE FORM INDICATING HIS OR HER PERSONAL OBJECTION TO IMMUNIZATIONS, MEDICAL TESTING AND TREATMENTS or consent shall be given for immunization to be administered by a health officer in the public employ, or by a school physician or nurse.

Abinanti’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the proposed legislation, but he told Capital New York that the risk is potentially too great to force parents to vaccinate their children.

“I believe that it is the right of parents to determine who invades the body of their children and the logic that says the state can determine that a foreign substance can invade a child means that anything can invade the child no matter how dangerous,” said Abinanti, whose son has autism.

He continued his remarks to Capital New York, “I believe that the family, with the doctor, should make the individual determination whether a particular vaccine is appropriate for that child. There are many of us who resent our kids being collateral damage. The possible adverse effects, whatever they may be, and it may be a very small minority—but [the state is] discarding a group of people, which is now a growing group of people.”

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