As a first-time mom, caring for my daughter Penelope is my absolute top priority. Becoming a parent and trying to make the best decisions for a new baby can be very anxiety-inducing, with a lot of new questions to navigate (all while probably not getting much sleep) — what that new cry means, how to file 10 tiny fingernails, when an issue is urgent enough to call the pediatrician at midnight. But one thing that’s very clear is that protecting children against potentially deadly diseases is a necessity.
This is where motherhood intertwines with my role as the director of Massachusetts Families for Vaccines. In this role, I’m an advocate not just for my child, but for your children as well.
That’s why we’re supporting H.2554, a bill at the State House that would make communities across the state safer. H.2554 has two main purposes: it would eliminate non-medical vaccine exemptions for children, and it would also require stricter school reporting to ensure accurate vaccination data.
This bill couldn’t come at a more crucial time. Over a third of Massachusetts kindergartens don’t report their annual immunization data at all. And the percentage of parents in Massachusetts who have opted out of immunizing their children, citing a religious belief, has risen steadily over the last five years. That has created dozens of hot spots: communities throughout the state at risk for outbreaks because they are well below something called “herd immunity.” Herd immunity happens when enough people have been vaccinated to prevent an outbreak. The rise in exemptions is an alarming trend. In Massachusetts, parents can claim a religious exemption without proving a sincere religious belief, and no one is denied.
Importantly, no major religions prohibit vaccines. In fact, the leaders of most major religions, including Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam, have endorsed vaccines as a crucial tool for protecting society’s most vulnerable members. This exemption is a loophole. And it’s one that has repercussions well beyond one’s own family.
The reality is that, thanks to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., skepticism over vaccines has risen. This is despite scientific research that overwhelmingly proves the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Sadly, across the country we’re seeing the results of the skepticism: the most measles cases in the United States in 30 years, as well as outbreaks of pertussis (whooping cough).
These diseases don’t respect boundaries. Measles is the most contagious disease of all: 90% of unimmunized people who are exposed to it will contract it. A person with measles may not even know they have it yet, but the disease is contagious four days before the rash develops and for four days after. On top of that, the virus stays alive in the air for two hours after someone who has it leaves the area.
At just under nine months, Penny hasn’t been immunized against measles yet, so my husband and I are still reluctant to bring her to crowded indoor spaces because of the risk of a potential exposure. We’ve even considered getting her the MMR vaccine early to give her some measure of protection. Penny is curious about everything, and we would love to bring her to more new places to explore and get more socialization, but it is challenging in a world where so many other parents are choosing not to vaccinate.
The problem is vaccines are a victim of their own success.
The reason we don’t see thousands of children dying from these diseases is because vaccines work. Immunizations have literally saved millions of lives.
There’s another reason the bill on Beacon Hill is important.
Although Penny will be fully protected in a few years, there are close to 2,000 of other children in the state who can’t safely receive vaccines due to cancer treatment, organ transplantation, immunodeficiency disorders, or other medical conditions. In order to protect them, everyone else needs to be immunized.
The good news is that lawmakers have vigorous support from their constituents. Our organization, in partnership with Beacon Research, conducted a poll of Massachusetts voters. Out of 1000 respondents, 90% support vaccine mandates for school-aged children, 75% of parents with school-aged children support the legislation, and 70% support eliminating the religious exemption. H.2554 also has the support of Massachusetts’s teacher unions and major medical organizations.
I’ve met parents who have lost a child to a vaccine-preventable disease. Their children were either too young to be immunized or too young to be fully immunized. It’s beyond heartbreaking — if you heard their stories, you wouldn’t question the need for vaccines.
We have an obligation to protect our communities. This bill is a win for the public health of everyone in our state — and a way to make being a new parent a little less scary.
Katie Blair is the Director of Massachusetts Families for Vaccines.
