Go Colorado!

I don't often think states have the right idea when it comes to stuff. Most things, I believe, should be left to individuals to decide. However, when dealing with health and safety issues, I'm okay with the state stepping in - sometimes. I'm more okay when it comes to the state stepping in when dealing with public goods. For instance - public schools (which is one reason I homeschool).

In public school, in CA, kids are required to be vaccinated. Unless they have a waiver on file. And the waiver can be for a number of reasons including "personal belief." That's dead wrong. The science on vaccinations is amazing. Women in other countries walk miles, sometimes a whole day, to have their children receive vaccinations because the health benefits are so amazing. Yet here, in CA, people just decide not to vaccinate their child.

People who want to slow do the vaccination process are okay - so long as their kid gets vaccinated. People who have children who cannot have vaccines for medical reasons are also okay. I'm not talking about "my child might get autism" medical reasons - since that's not even true. I'm talking about "my child's immune system can't fight off the disease even in vaccine form so she might die" medical reasons. I have a latex allergy, and have an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine every year, but it doesn't stop me from getting it. Why? Because vaccines are important.

Vaccines stop outbreaks of diseases that otherwise cause havoc on a population.

Colorado is voting on a bill that will require parents to complete an online course or have a physician sign off that they've talked to the parents before a parent can claim a personal belief exemption. The state of Colorado is making it harder to get an exemption. And that is so good for the children.

A belief that vaccinations are bad is a belief that harms everyone. Your right to choose - on many issues - stops short of being able to harm others.  This is true across the board in our society. So why is it that we feel vaccines are special? They are scientifically proven to stop diseases that have killed many, many people over the past centuries. They are amazing science. Most of all, they protect society.

If you use a public good - like public school - you have an obligation to make sure you aren't hurting, or potentially hurting, others using the same public good. It's simply being a good citizen. I'm cheering on the Colorado legislature as they vote on this bill. Even though I don't live in Colorado, I wrote emails to their legislative members urging them to vote yes. My letter states my belief that personal belief exemptions are a crock of bull, should be eliminated, and for the safety of all children, the personal belief exemption should be as hard as possible to get. I hope that CA can follow suit - although I'm not hoping too hard since it is CA.

Get your vaccines people!!!!