Maine Senate reverses course, ends religious exemption for vaccines

The Press Herald writes that the Maine bill – expected to be signed by Gov. Mills – is “one of the most controversial to move through the Legislature in recent years” Yet across American, Big Tech is actively censoring the debate around vaccines at the exact time that it is needed.

THE PRESS HERALD WRITES:

AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate voted 18-17 Tuesday to remove religious exemptions from the state’s school vaccination law, reversing a vote taken last week and setting the bill to significantly strengthen childhood vaccination requirements on course for final approval.

The administration of Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, offered testimony in support of removing the vaccination exemptions in Maine law. Last week, her staff also reaffirmed her support for the bill.

If she signs it into law,  Maine would be the fourth state – following California, Mississippi and West Virginia – to ban all non-medical exemptions that allow parents to forgo school-required vaccines for their children.

Tuesday’s vote followed an impassioned debate by opponents, who said ending the religious exemption, as well as a philosophical exemption, would send thousands of families packing while doing little to improve public health or protect children from preventable diseases.

The mostly party-line vote, with Republicans in opposition and Democrats favoring the change, saw three Democrats join Republicans in a failed effort to preserve the religious exemption. But one Democrat who supported the exemption in a vote last week changed his position Tuesday, 

READ THE FULL STORY AT THE PRESSHERALD HERE:
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/05/14/maine-senate-reverses-course-ends-religious-exemption-for-vaccines/

Of note was a May 10 Letter to the Editor published in the Press Herald by Jim Baines, Chair, Libertarian Party of Maine:

Maine Democratic Senators James Dill, Erin Herbig, Louis Luchini, and David Miramant have been singled out by some for not subscribing to group think, when they voted to keep the religious exemption within LD 798. In this case, they chose to think like individuals, to protect individual rights.

Say what you want about the anti-vax moment. I certainly have my own personal opinions about it. The key here is not to let your personal opinions usurp the choices of others.

The Senate Republicans and these four Democrats never lost sight that this is a civil liberties issue, and despite all of the scientific proof that immunizations work well, and that measles have certainly spiked among the non-immunized, the simple and, for some, frustrating truth is, you cannot compel a needle into someone else.

Never forget that each individual owns his/her body. The greater good needs to be served via intelligence, not force.

READ AND SHARE THE PRESS HERALD’S LETTER TO THE EDITOR HERE: