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Controversial vaccine bill passes first vote

The Education Committee voted 8 to 5 on Wednesday -- along party lines -- in favor of a bill to reduce the number of vaccine exemptions for children to attend school.

AUGUSTA, Maine — The debate in Augusta over vaccinations will now move to the full Legislature. 

The Education Committee voted 8 to 5 on Wednesday -- along party lines -- in favor of a bill to reduce the number of vaccine exemptions for children to attend school.

The current law allows parents to not vaccinate their children for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. The bill being debated would allow only medical exemptions. 

Children without proper immunizations would not be allowed to attend public or private schools or day care programs. 

Supporters, including the Maine CDC, have said the change is needed because of an increasing number of unvaccinated children and an increase in cases of childhood diseases in schools. Parent groups and doctors have lobbied legislators on both sides of the issue, and it does seem to have become largely a partisan debate. 

Bill sponsor, Democratic Rep. Ryan Tipping (D-Orono), said the goal is better health and safety for children.

"I’m hearing from a lot of parents now, hearing news from other states about measles outbreaks, hearing news from Maine CDC about declining vaccination rates in the state -- and they’re scared about that," Tipping said.

Opponents say the bill would take away the legitimate rights of parents to make decisions about what’s best for their children and coerce them into doing something they want to not do.

"It is a civil rights issue," said Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred). "We now (will be) segregating these kids, minimizing them, forcing them thru coercion and threat tactics to get them to comply, or they get expelled from school."

The Maine CDC said at Wednesday’s hearing that, based on a survey it conducted, about two-thousand unvaccinated children would have to leave school if the bill were to become law. Opponents claim the number is higher than that. 

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