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WASHINGTON: A PRO-CHOICE STATE - FOR NOW

In Washington State, parents currently may opt out of any or all required vaccinations on basis of personal belief. Kids who are unvaccinated for a certain illness will be sent home from school if there is an outbreak of that illness in their district. This flexible policy only exists in a handful of states. Most states allow religious waivers, but only if parents refuse all vaccinations. In many states, parents have been prosecuted when they refused to vaccinate children. For details, see the Consumer's Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, by Barbara Loe Fisher (it can be ordered on the internet). If you are interested in retaining parental choice in this matter, please take note: there are many pharmaceutical lobbyists and zealous health professionals who would like to take this choice away from you. Please tell your state legislators that you are interested in retaining parental choice in vaccinations. If any reader knows of a health or parent organization active in Olympia that would like to keep tabs on this issue, please inform the Free Press at [email protected] or 206-860-5290. --Doug Collins