In December we sent out an alert asking you to contact your legislators and tell them to vote no on several vaccine bills. These overreaching bills were expected to move out of the Joint Committee on Public Health before the end of the year in spite of the fact that controversial bills are NOT supposed to be brought for a vote during an informal session.
You took action immediately and flooded your legislators with phone calls and emails. We are happy to report that your advocacy secured victory! Vaccination bills, HB604, SB1391, and HB2151/SB1458 are officially dead!
HB604 and SB1391 would have deleted the religious exemption for K-12th grade students from the current vaccine law, completely eliminating the exemption for students at both public and private schools. This exemption has been part of the MA vaccine statute for decades.
HB2151/SB1458 would keep the exemption but would have required all exemption requests to go through the MA Department of Public Health.
We opposed these bills for these reasons:
They would have eliminated religious exemptions, resulted in decreased accountability and increased government bureaucracy, shamed schools and parents, and allowed minors to consent to vaccination without their parents’ or guardians’ knowledge or consent.
Thank you to all those who contacted their elected officials to make their voices heard. Together we worked quickly to respond to this threat to fundamental freedoms. Our advocacy made a difference!
The new legislative session started on January 1st, and these bills may be reintroduced. We will keep you updated on any developments. Stay vigilant and prepared to take action!
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