FILE Ƶ Matt Caldwell, left, a Lubbock Fire Department official, administers a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to Clair May, 61, at the Lubbock Health Department, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)
FILE Ƶ Matt Caldwell, left, a Lubbock Fire Department official, administers a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to Clair May, 61, at the Lubbock Health Department, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)
Maybe in any other year, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey could have gotten his plan to allow parents to not vaccinate their children against certain diseases because of religious or philosophical reasons through the Legislature. But given the outbreaks of measles in other states, this was not the year.
The House of Delegates on Monday rejected Senate Bill 460, introduced by Senate President Randy Smith, R-Preston, and amended numerous times. The bill as amended and voted on Monday would have allowed private and religious schools to decide whether to accept religious exemptions from studentsƵ families; the Senate version of the bill would have required the schools to accept religious exemptions. Public schools would have been required to accept the exemptions under both versions.
West Virginia law requires all children entering school in West Virginia for the first time in grades K-12 must show proof of immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and hepatitis B unless properly medically exempted.
Delegates whose districts lie entirely or partly in Cabell and Wayne counties were split on SB 460 as amended. Voting for it were Evan Worrell, Henry Dillon and Margitta Mazzocchi, all of whom are Republicans. Voting against were Republicans Patrick Lucas, Matthew Rohrbach, Michael Amos and Ryan Browning and Democrat Sean Hornbuckle.
Some readers may remember the days when getting measles or chickenpox was an expected part of childhood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before the measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, an estimated 48,000 people were hospitalized and 400 to 500 people died of it in the United States each year. Ƶ of March 21, 378 confirmed cases had been reported nationwide this year, with two deaths, compared with 285 cases all of last year. About 95% of cases this year were people who had not been vaccinated.
Older readers may remember when polio was a scourge, and some may know people whose life was changed by being infected with the polio virus. The Ƶsociated Press quoted Delegate Keith Marple, R-Harrison, 81, who said he has seen people who were disabled by polio and living on iron lungs. Marple said he doesnƵt want to see West Virginia children hurt and said itƵs ƵessentialƵ they continue receiving the required immunizations.
ƵI donƵt want that on my conscience,Ƶ he said, before voting no on the bill. Who would?
One other problem with MorriseyƵs plan was the phrase Ƶphilosophical reasons.Ƶ It lacked clarity. ƵPhilosophical reasonsƵ can mean different things to different people. Voters need broad concepts boiled down to a few words with limited meanings, and this one did not pass that test. It was better to wait until a newer, concise phrase could be invented or borrowed than to go with one that voters could not grasp easily.
The House has two bills similar to SB 460. Both are in committee, with no action having been take on either with SB 460 in the spotlight. Both should stay there until there is adequate public debate on whether religious exemptions should be considered, as most states allow, or other considerations are worth discussing. ItƵs difficult to see what the rush is. The Legislature should move on to other matters and let this one be for now.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
Recommended for you
If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.
