[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”1px|0px|0|0px|false|false” next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n
A young boy with measles, on the third day after the disease’s rash appeared. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.3″ custom_padding=”4px|0px|54px|0px|false|false” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#00417f”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.24.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” z_index_tablet=”500″ text_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” text_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” link_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” link_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ul_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ul_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” ol_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” ol_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” quote_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” quote_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_2_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_2_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_3_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_3_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_4_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_4_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_5_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_5_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” header_6_text_shadow_horizontal_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_vertical_length_tablet=”0px” header_6_text_shadow_blur_strength_tablet=”1px” box_shadow_horizontal_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_vertical_tablet=”0px” box_shadow_blur_tablet=”40px” box_shadow_spread_tablet=”0px”]<\/p>\n In response to reports that Maine\u2019s pertussis rate is <\/span>the worst in the nation<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and that several <\/span>outbreaks<\/span><\/a> have been reported here this year, the state legislature proposed LD 798<\/a>, <\/span>a bill<\/span> that would eliminate non-medical vaccination exemptions for school children. Maine\u2019s non-medical opt-out rate has just hit an all-time high<\/a> and is\u00a0more than triple<\/a><\/span>\u00a0the national average. More than 40 of our elementary schools have vaccination rates <\/span>below 85%<\/span><\/a>. Studies show that disease outbreaks are <\/span>more likely to occur<\/span><\/a> in communities with high numbers of unvaccinated people. Right now, <\/span>measles outbreaks<\/span><\/a> are spreading across 23 states. \u00a0The number of US measles cases is on pace to triple<\/a> last year\u2019s count. Students in schools with low vaccination rates are especially vulnerable. <\/span><\/p>\n At the public hearing for the bill, a great deal of false and misleading information was shared, even by legislators. When it comes to public health, the promotion of conspiracy theories and junk science can be dangerous and even deadly. Suit Up Maine has chosen to correct some of those false claims by offering an annotated version of testimony<\/a> given by\u00a0<\/span>Sen. David Miramant (D-Knox)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in opposition to LD 798. We encourage Sen. Miramant\u2019s constituents and all Mainers to speak out to correct false information whenever and wherever they see it.<\/span><\/p>\n Additional updates about the bill and Senator Miramant’s response can be found at the end of this fact check.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”5px||0px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant:\u00a0<\/strong>There are three basic reasons for individuals, or their parents or guardians, to refuse vaccinations. There have always been religious objections which the government has chosen to honor. If a religion practices beliefs that come into conflict with the laws of the land, the government has to decide if their objections are valid. In the case of refusing vaccinations, this has been settled and is allowed. Since this is the case, no person, business or educational institution should be able to discriminate unilaterally.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n No current federal or constitutional law requires states to offer religious or personal belief exemptions from school vaccine requirements. In fact, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including <\/span>Jacobson v. Massachusetts<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Zucht v. King<\/span><\/i><\/a>, have made it clear that states possess the authority to require vaccination as a condition for school entry. <\/span>Prince v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts<\/span><\/i><\/a> established that religious freedom does not extend to those actions that endanger others: <\/span>\u201cThe right to practice religion freely does not include the liberty to expose the community or the child to communicable disease or the latter to ill health or death.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Other <\/span>court rulings<\/span><\/a> have clarified that the right to religious freedom is not infringed by requiring schoolchildren to be vaccinated and that citizens are not granted a First Amendment right to religious exemption from laws requiring vaccination for school attendance: <\/span>\u201cThe constitutional right to freely practice one’s religion does not provide an exemption for parents seeking to avoid compulsory immunization for their school-aged children.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n California, West Virginia, and Mississippi do not allow any philosophical or religious exemptions. In 2011 the Supreme Court affirmed West Virginia\u2019s law by refusing to take up a <\/span>case against it<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n It’s also worth noting that n<\/a>o major religion has explicit, doctrinal objections to vaccinations<\/a>. A 2013 study<\/a> found\u00a0that only two religious groups \u2015 Christian Scientists and the Dutch Reformed Church \u2015 have demonstrated a precedent of widely rejecting vaccinations, but even these are not explicitly laid out in their doctrine.\u00a0Vaccination is endorsed<\/a> by top Jewish and Islamic scholars, and by the Vatican. Religious authorities have meticulously studied how vaccines are made and what is in them, and still have ruled that they do not violate Jewish, Islamic or Catholic law.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>When the ingredients of vaccines became public information, many people began to question the benefits versus the risks. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at benefit versus risk with factual evidence. \u00a0<\/span>Vaccines have eradicated or brought under control seven major human diseases<\/span><\/a>\u2014smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, yellow fever, whooping cough, polio, and measles. It’s been estimated that the elimination of smallpox has saved 40 million lives. Deaths from polio worldwide have dropped by 99% since 1988, and more than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis, according to the World Health Organization. In contrast, severe adverse reactions resulting from vaccination are extremely <\/span>rare<\/span><\/a>. For vaccines with the most reported adverse reactions, the rate is about 1 in 1 million vaccinations. <\/span><\/p>\n While the chance of severe adverse reaction or death resulting from the MMR vaccine is <\/span>less than 1 in 1 million<\/span><\/a>, the risk to unvaccinated children is far greater: About <\/span>1 in 1,000<\/span><\/a> unvaccinated children who contract measles will suffer a serious outcome, such as encephalopathy or death. Measles, considered eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, is now resurging in <\/span>outbreaks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that have spread to 22 states, and the number of cases in 2019 is on pace to triple last year\u2019s count.<\/span><\/p>\n Maine\u2019s pertussis rate is <\/span>8 times the national average<\/span><\/a>, and we have outbreaks<\/a> underway in several towns. Pertussis can be deadly to babies: of those that are hospitalized with pertussis,\u00a0<\/span>1 out of every 100 will die<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(see what a baby with whooping cough looks and sounds like<\/a>).\u00a0Since the introduction of the safer DTaP vaccine in 1999, rates of severe adverse reaction have fallen dramatically. The chances of a child having a severe allergic response today is about <\/span>1 in 1 million<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>It turned out that manufacturers were using known poisons in vaccines, and that a previously unknown disease now well know as autism, began to appear after severe reactions in children who were vaccinated. While there are different causes for autism, vaccine injury is the primary one. \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n There is NO causal link between vaccines and autism<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, even among children who have an increased risk for autism. The cause of this pernicious and dangerous rumor was a single 1998 study of just 12 children. The study was later <\/span>proven to be fraudulent<\/span><\/a>, retracted from the journal that published it, and the author stripped of his medical license. Opposing that discredited theory are several large scale, long-term, <\/span>peer-reviewed studies<\/span><\/a>. The largest was published this year, <\/span>studying 657,461 children<\/span><\/a> born in Denmark from 1999 through 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n There are no \u201cpoisons\u201d in vaccines. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant:<\/strong><\/span> The rates of autism in 1970\u2019s was 1 in 10,000. Just 3 vaccines were required by the CDC in 1962. The autism rate is now 1 in 36 children paralleling the increase vaccines to 38 by the age of five.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Two trends occurring at the same time does not prove that one causes the other. While it\u2019s true that autism rates have climbed dramatically since the 1970s, the numbers Sen. Miramant presented are both inaccurate and obscure autism\u2019s scientifically proven risk factors. <\/span>The actual rate of autism<\/span><\/a> in the U.S. has increased from 1 in 5,000 in 1975 to <\/span>1 in 59<\/span><\/a> today (1 in 37 for boys and 1 in 151 for girls). <\/span>Experts say<\/span><\/a> the bulk of the increase stems from a growing awareness of autism and changes to the condition\u2019s diagnostic criteria and availability of supportive services. Autism did not appear in the <\/span>DSM<\/span><\/a> until 1980, despite the term being coined as early as 1943. Until that time, many people with autism were diagnosed with an intellectual disability, institutionalized, and rendered invisible. As the diagnostic criteria expanded, so did the number of cases reported. In 1991, students diagnosed with autism qualified for special education services, making a diagnosis an avenue for support instead of stigma. Since then, the definition of autism has further broadened to include Asperger\u2019s. Research indicates that <\/span>genetics<\/span><\/a> are involved in the vast majority of autism cases, along with <\/span>parental age<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>premature birth<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0The manufacturers of the vaccines have resisted efforts to make changes even as the number of vaccines required before the age of 2 years has grown to over 20. This gives children a dose of mercury 80 times higher than the accepted safe level. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Again, there is <\/span>NO MERCURY<\/a><\/span> in any required childhood vaccine.\u00a0<\/span>Vaccine manufacturers have made changes to vaccines based on reporting of adverse reactions. The shift from the <\/span>DTP to the DTaP<\/span><\/a> vaccine is one important example that greatly increased safety. Maine requires <\/span>9 vaccinations<\/span><\/a> (covering 13 diseases) for all school children, including daycare for babies and toddlers. Most of these vaccines require multiple booster shots given over the course of several years to achieve immunity. While the DTaP vaccine is less effective than the DTP vaccine, it is considered safer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant: <\/strong><\/span><\/em>This and other information about the cycles of disease opened up the personal exemption that allowed parents who were concerned about their children\u2019s safety and well being to opt-out of the mandated vaccination schedule and pick schedules that are much safer. When people follow the law and make choices that are theirs to make, there can be no justification to allow fear to condone discrimination. <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Parents and doctors still have wide latitude in determining the best vaccination schedule for their child. Children who enter the school system in kindergarten have about 5 years to acquire 4 required vaccines. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant: <\/strong><\/span><\/em>While the theory of herd immunity has not been proven, herd mentality has. Experience with vaccines has not given cause to allow discrimination in education based on herd mentality. If we are to look at herd mentality further, the proponents of this bill say that they need a critical mass for the effects to work. They say that the number to ensure herd immunity is 95%. Even with the exemption system in place Maine already has a 95% vaccination rate in children. This alone is a good reason to continue to allow the exemption but further examination shows that the ongoing recommendations for maintaining this herd immunity are not being met.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”FACT CHECK” title=”FACT CHECK” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”%%45%%” use_circle=”on” circle_color=”#00417f” icon_placement=”left” content_max_width=”800px” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”36px” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ header_font=”|600||on|||||” header_text_color=”#00417f” header_font_size=”24px” background_color=”#efdcaa” custom_margin=”|||0px” custom_padding=”16px|10px|16px|10px” z_index_tablet=”500″]<\/p>\n Herd immunity<\/span><\/a> is not a fringe theory. It\u2019s <\/span>established scientific fact<\/span><\/a> that when a sufficiently large proportion of a population is immune to a contagious disease, the disease cannot easily spread from person to person. This roadblock protects individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to age or illness, keeping their already elevated risk of contracting a disease as low as possible. The other benefit of a large vaccinated population is that diseases are less likely to mutate and become ineffective if they cannot gain a foothold in a community. Mutations happen as a result of sustained outbreaks, and are most likely to occur in communities where vaccination rates are low. When mutation happens, even vaccinated people are at greater risk of contracting the disease. This is exactly what is currently happening with <\/span>pertussis in Maine.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The vaccination rate required to achieve herd immunity depends on the disease. While <\/span>experts say<\/span><\/a> 80% is enough to protect against rubella and mumps, pertussis and measles spread far more easily and require a rate closer to 95%. In more than 40 of Maine\u2019s elementary schools, <\/span><\/span>the vaccination rate is below 85%<\/a><\/span> (five\u00a0are in Sen. Miramant’s district).\u00a0Although the health and safety of our community\u2019s children are the primary source of concern when it comes to maintaining herd immunity, we shouldn\u2019t forget that letting it lapse also comes with a massive financial risk. When a community in Brooklyn experienced a <\/span>measles outbreak in 2013<\/span><\/a>, it took 87 city health employees 10,000 staff hours and $400,000 to bring the outbreak under control. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Miramant quote” quote_border_color=”#00417f” _builder_version=”3.21.1″ quote_text_color=”#00417f” custom_padding=”15px||” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” z_index_tablet=”500″ custom_padding__hover_enabled=”on”]<\/p>\n Sen. Miramant: <\/strong><\/span><\/em>
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nTHE ISSUE<\/h3>\n
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