Georgia Lawmakers Look to Rescind All Childhood Vaccine Requirements
Long before the world ever knew what COVID-19 was, back when very few people had even heard of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, there was a fervent anti-vaccine movement spreading across America.
These were the holistic among us, seeking to rid themselves of any unnecessary medical interventions, and prevent the sort of issues that they believed that vaccinations could cause. This tight-knight, but somewhat ostracized group, was merely turbocharged by the widespread concerns that America held for the speed of the development and testing of these new COVID-19 inoculations.
Now, with our national attention drawn to the larger vaccine debate, one state could even go so far as to repeal the requirement for school children to be vaccinated at all.
Seventeen Georgia state senators have proposed a new bill aimed at getting rid of all routine childhood vaccination requirements.
The bill was drafted on Jan. 14 and in it, the senators hope to make it illegal to check proof of vaccination. Right now, there are eight vaccines required by the Georgia Department of Health. This includes shots to prevent diseases like measles, mumps and chickenpox.
Health professionals were quick to speak up.
“We need these vaccinations they’ve kept us around for a long time,” Antonio Proctor said. “We need them. We need to continue to provide updates on the medicine I mean the kids are the future.”
Advertisement - story continues belowDoctors say the requirements have kept children and adults safe from preventable diseases.
“It’s a testament to why many school systems require common routine child vaccinations,” Dr. Stephen Thacker of Memorial Health said.
With the anti-vaccine movement growing enormously over the course of the last several years, is it possible that Georgia could overturn decades of requirements? Only time will tell.
