By Kurtis Lee
The Denver Post
A proposal to require parents to take an online course that showcases the benefits and risks of vaccinating their children received several hours of testimony in a Senate committee Wednesday evening from those on both sides of the issue.
The day ended without a vote, which will come next week.
Current Colorado law requires only a parent’s signature to claim a personal, medical or religious exemption from vaccination, with the majority of exemptions for personal reasons.
House Bill 1288 focuses on the personal-belief portion of the law. It would require parents to complete an online-education course that discloses the benefits and risks of immunization if they choose to opt out for personal reasons.
The measure passed through the House last month on a bipartisan 42-19 vote.
Parents who believe more children need to be vaccinated and others who believe this will lead to mandatory vaccination requirements packed into the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chambers ahead of Wednesday’s hearing.
“This moves us toward vaccinations for everyone and eliminating exemptions altogether,” said Robyn Charron, a Denver resident with two young children. Charron said her 4-year-old son received a vaccine injury that affected his brain. As a result, her 2-year-old daughter is not vaccinated.
Sen. Irene Aguilar, D-Denver, the bill’s Senate sponsor, said the measure “balances rights by simply adopting a requirement that parents receive credible information before exempting their children from immunization requirements.”
“We are seeing Colorado children diagnosed and hospitalized with vaccine-preventable diseases,” Aguilar said.
In Colorado, a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 85 percent of kindergartners entering elementary school in the fall of 2012 were vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR. That was among the lowest percentages. Mississippi and Maryland had rates near 100 percent.
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee
Read more: Colorado Senate hears testimony on bill to educate parents on vaccines – The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25533227/colorado-senate-hears-testimony-bill-educate-parents-vaccines#ixzz2yVSztWQQ
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