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Anti-Vaxxers Defeated: NY Bans Exemptions as Doctors Vote to Step up Fight:
Anti-vaccine advocates received a blow in New York Thursday as state lawmakers banned non-medical exemptions based on religious beliefs—and there may be more blows coming.
Also on Thursday, the American Medical Association adopted a new policy to step up its fight against such non-medical exemptions. The AMA, the country's largest physicians' group and one of the largest spenders on lobbying, has always strongly support pediatric vaccination and opposed non-medical exemptions. But under the new policy changes, the association will now "actively advocate" for states to eliminate any laws that allow for non-medical exemptions.
"As evident from the measles outbreaks currently impacting communities in several states, when individuals are not immunized as a matter of personal preference or misinformation, they put themselves and others at risk of disease," AMA Board Member E. Scott Ferguson, M.D. said in a statement. "The AMA strongly supports efforts to eliminate non-medical exemptions from immunization, and we will continue to actively urge policymakers to do so."
The religious exemption ban in New York comes at a critical time. The state is at the forefront of a nationwide resurgence of measles, with active outbreaks that have sickened hundreds and splintered into other states.
"This administration has taken aggressive action to contain the measles outbreak, but given its scale, additional steps are needed to end this public health crisis," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement after signing the ban on religious exemptions. "While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health, and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks."
Sudden outbreak of common sense?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Monday June 17 2019, @02:42AM (12 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday June 17 2019, @03:40AM (1 child)
Inquiring minds want to know: if that belief is unconsciously held, is it still a conscience belief?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Monday June 17 2019, @08:20PM
I'd say that if you can articulate it enough to cite that belief as a reason to opt out of vaccination, then it is a conscious belief. If you can't, then you get the vaccination, but feel uneasy about it.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Mykl on Monday June 17 2019, @03:53AM (9 children)
Just because you have a genuine and deeply held belief, doesn't mean that we have to kowtow to it. What about the genuine and deeply held beliefs of the whites in the south that segregation should remain in place? We decided that the benefits of desegregation far outweigh the 'genuine and deeply held beliefs' of the segregationists, so that is what we did. I believe vaccination is no different.
The Australian experiment is slightly different. Instead of banning religious exemption, they are including requirements to access certain services. Want your kids to go to a public or private school (vs homeschool)? Need to be vaccinated. Want to claim government benefits for your kids? They need to be vaccinated. I would imagine that our universal access to the public health system will be next.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Monday June 17 2019, @11:17AM (6 children)
Absolutely.
Person A's right to behavior X should come to a screeching halt when that behavior endangers or harms person B without their informed consent. Their beliefs are immaterial in such a case.
That should be the end of non-medical exemptions, right there.
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Hyphenated.
Non-hyphenated.
Dashed peculiar, if you ask me.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 17 2019, @12:04PM (2 children)
You eat the food they could eat instead. You drink water they could drink. You breathe, exhaling dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. You fart even more dangerous greenhouse gas methane. You shit opportunistically pathogenic bacteria. Etc. etc. etc.
Before you support more and more inventive redefinitions of "harm", do consider that every right and freedom you so want to remove from your neighbor, YOU will lose as well.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 17 2019, @01:24PM
Indeed, we live in a society, everything we do can affect one another. That is why we have a government of the people to collectively make decisions and craft laws that protect our rights on our behalf. We live in a world full of societies of people, and many of their governments meet to come to agreements on problems that affect us all. It's not a perfect system. Governments can become corrupted by grifting billionaires that only care about enriching themselves and care nothing for the people, its government, or its laws. If the people are lucky, they can vote out the bad actors. If not, they may need to take more violent and decisive action.
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Thursday June 20 2019, @03:18PM
I have no desire to a right to expose my neighbor to diseases that are both dangerous and preventable. I do not consider this a loss, but a gain. Both ways.
That's the thing about liberty. It doesn't extend to being the first to proactively screw someone else up when it can reasonably be avoided.
So no, this is not a consideration at all.
Nice try though. :)
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Ignorance is weakness.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 18 2019, @05:55PM (1 child)
you stupid authoritarian bitch.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Thursday June 20 2019, @03:14PM
I'm authoritarian? Because I don't want you to impose your diseases on others without their consent?
You no more should have the freedom to walk around carrying/spreading dangerous diseases in range of other persons, than you should have the freedom to fire guns randomly through the walls of your domicile in range of other persons.
You are the one seeking authority you should not have. Not me.
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My sense of humor is my primary defense against the
creeping tide of idiocy taking over my country
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 19 2019, @03:45PM
Let's talk about your religious support of vaccines that can endanger or harm others without their informed consent.
Billions have been paid out by vaccine court, and not for no reason.
My body. My choice.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Monday June 17 2019, @08:24PM (1 child)
This sounds like the California law, where vaccine requirements are tied to school attendance. I normally assume other states are the same, but the New York story doesn't mention schools.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 18 2019, @06:45AM
This is the school requirement: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-legislation-removing-non-medical-exemptions-school-vaccination [ny.gov]