AUGUSTA, Maine - Public health and school officials concerned about the numbers of Maine parents who are choosing not to have their children vaccinated on philosophical grounds made some headway today in the Health and Human Services Committee. In a 9-3 vote, the panel approved a bill requiring parents to consult with a doctor who would have to sign off on any vaccination opt-out request.
Although Democratic Rep. Peter Stuckey of Portland wound up voting for the bill that requires a doctor's consultation and written authorization before a parent can pull a child out of a vaccination program on philosophical grounds, he admitted to having mixed emotions.
Stuckey said there's not enough conversation between medical providers and patients, and he says notification about the benefits and risks of some vaccinations is beneficial to all parties. But he says the national drug industry, that he refers to as Big Pharma, still has a lot to answer for. "You know I watch TV, I watch those ads."
Stuckey reminded his seat mates on the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee of the daily bombardment of television ads promising Americans the benefits of new prescription drugs - along with more than a few cautionary notes.
"In the first five seconds, the ad tells you what the miracle is that the drug can do, and then the next 45 seconds is all the possible side effects, including diarrhea, diphtheria and death in some circumstances," Stuckey said. "So, I mean, these are the same folks who are bringing us the vaccine."
Skepticism over the benefits of some vaccines was a common theme from many Mainers who packed the legislative hearing room earlier this month for a hearing on the bill. Many parents say they should have the ability to opt out of the vaccinations as a matter of personal choice, a position shared by the committee's co-chair, Sen. Eric Brakey, an Auburn Republican.
"A repeated refrain we heard in the public testimony on this that really resonated with me and stuck with me is this idea that where there's risk, there must be choice," Brakey said. "I think this begins to encroach on that area of choice."
"The vaccines that we're talking about here that would be required of children before they go to school are for infectious diseases, like polio and measles and whooping cough," said Rep. Drew Gattine.
Gattine, a Westbrook Democrat who co-chairs the panel, said the committee vote on the bill strikes a balance between public health standards and parental rights, since currently parents can opt out of vaccinations without receiving the benefit of a physician consultation.
"This seems to be very reasonable policy, both from a health care perspective and from an educational policy perspective, to make sure that when kids go off to public schools that they're safe, and that other children and people who work there are protected also," Gattine said.
Lawmakers on the committee killed a bill that would have eliminated the parental opt-out provision on philosophical grounds, and approved an amended version of a measure requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to assist Mainers who feel they are entitled to damages after suffering adverse reactions to vaccines.