New N.C. House Bill Seeks to “Study” Issue of Vaccine Exemptions

A new North Carolina House bill, introduced at the heels of the defeated Senate Bill 346, seeks to “study” the issue of vaccine exemptions, along with other issues related to an increasing load of childhood vaccines required of babies in North Carolina. The bill, HB-589, introduced by Democrat Representative Beverly Earle, has five other sponsors and seeks to study vaccine/autism links, along with the pros and cons of allowing exemptions to parents opposed to government mandates.

“This is a slap in the face of parents who seek to keep their children away from every new vaccine that comes down the pike,” said Lisa Jillani, director of People Advocating Vaccine Education (PAVE), a North Carolina non-profit that has been operating since 1996. “Introduced within 12 hours of Senator Jeff Tarte’s failed attempt to limit our rights, this smells suspiciously of pharma lobbyists trying to play on the bogus Disney Land measles story that made national news.”

PAVE, and a growing number of health freedom and pro-liberty groups, are challenging bills introduced nationwide in recent months to coincide with the broad coverage of the measles epidemic.

“Measles is actually at a lower rate this year than the 650 documented by the CDC in 2014,” Jillani said. “And those wanting protection can get 50 vaccines if they want ultimate protection from measles, mumps, chicken pox and other childhood diseases the human race grew up with.”

Jillani insists that the bill is politically motivated. “If Beverly Earle, as she insists, came up with this novel idea to protect the children, she needs look no further than her doctor’s office or hospital,” Jillani said. “That’s where the vulnerable immune-compromised kids she says she is worried about face the worst threat with drug-resistant infections. Chicken pox is not the biggest worry for kids with immune disorders. Hospital acquired infections kill 205 people every day.”

Several groups have pointed out in recent weeks that this study bill is a classic technique pharma lobbyists use to “clear cut” all opposition before a more potent bill is introduced to skip the debate process and go straight into a vote. “We will question the motivation behind this bill until the last hour,” Jillani insisted. “Somebody has to give us a better argument than they woke up one morning and had an urge to save the children. We want lobbyists’ names, we want facts, and we’re going after the truth.”