Weighing in on a national debate, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made clear this week that he supports laws that include exemptions to requirements that parents vaccinate their children.
“Abbott recognizes the public health benefits of vaccines and encourages all parents to have their children vaccinated, as he and the First Lady did with their daughter,” spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said, but the governor “supports current Texas law that he believes strikes the right balance of requiring vaccinations while still allowing parents to opt out under certain circumstances.”
That law gives parents the right to opt out if they have religious or personal objections to vaccines, or if they can cite valid medical reasons.
The governor’s position pits him opposite a high-profile suggestion that Texas eliminate the religious and personal exemptions in response to several recent outbreaks of measles.
I’m sorry, but that’s a load of bull. Unless you’re a Christian Scientist, your right to endanger yourself and/or your kids ends where my and my kids’ immune systems begin. There’s no longstanding tradition here, and no reason to needlessly put children’s health at risk. Go talk to Rep. Villalba, Governor. This isn’t about ideology, and it isn’t about “freedom”. There’s a right answer and a wrong answer here. Don’t screw it up.
“your right to endanger yourself and/or your kids ends where my and my kids’ immune systems begin.” -Well said. This provision has to go, along with the “conscience clause” that says a pharmacist can refuse to sell you birth control if the voices in his head tell him so. As with the coming gun laws, we have pols pandering to the loons and ignos at the expense of public health and safety.