#67 – Vaccine Exemptions on the Line ** April 15, 2015
Guests // Activists from CA, VT, PA, and NJ ** Host // Louise Kuo Habakus

There is a legislative assault currently underway across the country, ostensibly in reaction to the Disneyland measles outbreak.

See that map on the right? If state lawmakers have their way, many more states will be colored red — for no parent-directed exemptions to mandated vaccines for daycare and school admission.

On the heels of 134 confirmed measles cases (as of 4/10/15), there are 116 bills in 38 states (as of 4/11/15) that seek to significantly curtail individual rights and expand governmental authority by:

• • expanding vaccine mandates
  • restricting or eliminating vaccine exemptions
  • expanding police and emergency powers
  • expanding or requiring vaccine status tracking for enforcement
  • publishing detailed compliance and exemption rates

Based on media reporting and this extreme legislative response, vaccination rates must be plummeting and exemption rates must be sky high, right? Wrong.

Vaccination compliance rates are at an all time high across the U.S.. The CDC reports that over 99% of children receive at least one vaccine in early childhood, 90-95% are fully vaccinated, and the median total exemption rate is 1.8%. These numbers far exceed published herd immunity thresholds.

Three states have rejected stricter mandatory vaccination laws. What are we seeing in other states? Join us for a lively discussion on the front lines of the legislative battle with leading activists from CA, VT, PA, and NJ.

• • If vaccine compliance rates are so high, what are these bills really about?
  • What does the ACLU have to say?
  • CA’s bill sponsor says medical exemptions are easy to get – true or false?
  • We hear it’s one in a million. How rare is vaccine injury?
  • What should concerned citizens be doing?

Guests:

• • Valerie Borek, Esq (PA) focuses on birth, parental, and family rights.
  • Jen DeLugach, RN (CA) has a background in maternal child health.
  • Jennifer Stella (VT) has a background in micriobiology and is President of the VT Coalition for Vaccine Choice.
  • Ray the “The Reluctant Advocate” is a public official, professional educator, and parent.

Louise Kuo Habakus is Executive Director of Fearless Parent, lead host and producer of Fearless Parent Radio, and mom of two. She is a published author, runs the non-profit Center for Personal Rights, lectures widely, and has appeared in numerous media outlets, including ABC World News Tonight, Fox & Friends, and The New York Times. Louise was a Bain consultant and a C-level executive in the financial services industry. She holds two degrees from Stanford University.