DeBolt Votes Against Bill Curtailing Vaccine Exemptions

The state House Health Care and Wellness Committee voted 10-5 Friday to advance a bill removing the personal or philosophical exemption for school-age children to avoid receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, cast one of the votes against the bill, which was crafted following a measles outbreak in Clark County that has sickened 54 people, mostly unvaccinated children, as of Friday afternoon.

Opponents of the bill packed a hearing on Feb. 8 to voice their concerns that the shots can have negative effects instead of immunizing people from contagious illnesses.

“I think the bill was rushed through without being well thought out,” DeBolt said. “I think there could be a dialogue on this, but I don’t think either side was really willing to have one. So, I just looked at the bill in front of me and I couldn’t make a choice based on a maybe or a what-if.”

DeBolt took issue with language in the bill that he said left the door open for unvaccinated people to be sent home from work or school without cause. He also wants parents to be able to cite family medical history as a reason to exempt their children from vaccines.

“A great example would be a family with children who have had someone in their lives die from the vaccine,” DeBolt said. “It may be one or two generations separated, but let’s say your doctor says there’s a 20 percent chance of some complication, are you still going to have your child vaccinated? Under this bill, you don’t get that choice anymore.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington kindergarten enrollees cited a philosophical, personal or religious exemption at a 4 percent clip, double the national average.

DeBolt said he could support a more limited version of the bill, one that took into account religious exemptions along with his other concerns. He is less inclined to support continuation of exemptions on purely personal grounds. 

The legislation, House Bill 1638, will now move to the House Rules Committee. It is expected to receive a favorable vote there and be taken up by the full chamber.