State lawmakers pushing for laxer vaccine rules despite measles outbreaks

[DonViejo]

'We still get messages that say these diseases are good for you,' says one Oregon lawmaker who opposes efforts to let more parents opt out.

By VICTORIA COLLIVER 03/03/2019 07:05 AM EST

Measles is spreading from New York to Texas to Washington state in the worst outbreak in years, but some state lawmakers want to take the vaccination debate in the opposite direction: Loosening rules covering whether kids get inoculated.

In Oregon, state lawmakers will consider a so-called transparency bill favored by the "vaccine hesitant." New York is simultaneously considering eliminating and expanding exemptions that allow parents to opt out. One bill in Texas would prohibit the state from even tracking exemptions.

The push to loosen the rules is occurring even as the U.S. has experienced more than 160 measles cases in 10 states since Jan. 1, including 74 in Washington state and Oregon linked to the outbreak in the Pacific Northwest, according to the states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreaks have turned 2019 into one of the most active years for vaccine policy in recent memory, inspiring several states to try to toughen their vaccination mandates with the aim of stemming future outbreaks. Yet some legislators are advocating giving parents more control over whether their children need to be vaccinated.

While few if any such bills will pass, the split underscores how divisive the issue has become during an era in which three 2016 GOP presidential candidates — including Donald Trump — made the false claim that vaccines cause autism. (Since his election, Trump has been silent on the issue.) And it dismays public health supporters who have seen childhood vaccines become a haven for conspiracy theorists, with Russian bots stirring up trouble on social media and some vaccine advocates enduring harassment and even death threats.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/03/measles-outbreak-vaccination-1192887

[Dennis Donovan]

1. The money paragraph:

While few if any such bills will pass, the split underscores how divisive the issue has become during an era in which three 2016 GOP presidential candidates — including Donald Trump — made the false claim that vaccines cause autism. (Since his election, Trump has been silent on the issue.) And it dismays public health supporters who have seen childhood vaccines become a haven for conspiracy theorists, with Russian bots stirring up trouble on social media and some vaccine advocates enduring harassment and even death threats.

[spanone]

2. the depths of some lawmaker's ignorance

[ck4829]

3. Disturbing