Vaccinations are essential for the health of children. Before the invention of vaccination or immunization, child mortality was high, as children died needlessly from conditions such as polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis, among other diseases. However, things have since changed. In the state of Minnesota, School Immunization Law in Minnesota requires parents to show kindergarten going children, all the way to those in grade 12, have received certain immunizations or an exemption. Schools then report the data for inclusion into the Annual Immunization Status Report (AISR), a tool for monitoring immunization coverage in the state.
Exemptions are granted based on medical, religious, and philosophical grounds. While the case of exemption of medical grounds is understandable, the others are questionable. In the last few years, diseases once considered eradicated have resurfaced, and investigations suggest are unvaccinated children serve as reservoirs for the virus or disease-causing organisms responsible for the outbreaks. Therefore, from a medical perspective, exemptions based religious or philosophical grounds represent a health risk for all children in the state. According to AISR, the vaccination rate in the state stand at 90%, and this is below the 95% target set by the state (Minnesota State Vaccine Requirements – National Vaccine Information Center, n.d.). The solution lies with mandated vaccinations for children entering school with medical exemption the only allowable form of exemption.
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The suggested law is mandated vaccinations for children entering school (the importance of) in Minnesota. The objectives of this law are threefold. First, the goal is to eliminate the possibility of outbreaks of certain childhood diseases for the safety of all children in the state. Secondly, the objective is to eliminate possible pockets of the reservoir of diseases. Finally, improve the general welfare and wellbeing of children.
The School Immunization Law in Minnesota, subdivision 3 section d states,
If a notarized statement signed by the minor child's parent or guardian or by the emancipated person is submitted to the administrator or other person having general control and supervision of the school or child care facility stating that the person has not been immunized as prescribed in subdivision 1 because of the conscientiously held beliefs of the parent or guardian of the minor child or the emancipated person, the immunizations specified in the statement shall not be required. This statement must also be forwarded to the commissioner of the Department of Health. (Office of the Revisor of Statutes, n.d.)
This paper proposes the deletion of the above section so that no exemption is available on the religious or philosophical ground. The following section replaces the deleted section, so as the law grants no exemption but under medical grounds only. It is mandatory for children to receive immunization in accordance with subdivision 1. An exemption is granted only under subdivision 3 section C.
Because the proposed amendment originates from a person outside the legislature of the state of Minnesota, the first step is to approach a member of the legislature and share or educate him or her about the need for amendment of the existing law. A proposal for a law is known as a bill and can originate from individuals, public interest groups, state agencies, or businesses. However, the introduction of the bill, either in the Senate or in the House of Representatives has to come from a member of either house and drafted in an appropriate format by the Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis or by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Once presented on the floor of the house, then members of the legislature take the bill through several stages of reading and pass it in both houses before the governor signs the bill into law. Therefore, the most critical stage is identifying a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives to introduce the bill. The second step is lobbying members to pass the bill. Lobbying can take place by giving the members of the legislature the literature on the subject.
The champion for the bill should be the department of health, those involved in promoting the health of the residents of Minnesota, schools, and nursing organizations. The department of health, as the people mandated to improve the health of residents, understands the increasing dangers of the failure of children to take the vaccination. They also understand the cost of the controlling outbreaks of preventable diseases. With the data and expertise at their disposal, they can advocate for the change in law or the amendment suggested. Moreover, during the critical period of receiving views from the public, their epidemiologists, immunologists, and other experts can provide testimony in support of the amendment.
The next group of champions for the bill is the schools and school districts. Under the current law, schools collect data, and over the years, they understand that requests for exemptions have increased, partly due to the misleading information online that vaccines are harmful to children. Therefore, the group can act as an advocate for the proposal. While the main objective of schools is to impart knowledge, they also have the role of advocating for the children and protecting their welfare. This amendment is designed to improve the health of children; hence, it is within their mandate to support for such a law.
Another critical group of advocates is nursing organizations and medical fraternity in general. The group, more than any other, understand the benefits of vaccination. Once the law is passed, implementation plans lie with schools as the case is with the existing law. The schools should start to deny children admission without the mandated vaccination according to the law.
References
Minnesota State Vaccine Requirements – National Vaccine Information Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements/minnesota.aspx
Office of the Revisor of Statutes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/121A.15
