State Senators hear the merits and pitfalls of a bill that could allow parents to opt out of some of their children’s vaccinations. Current law allows parents to claim medical and religious exemptions for their childrenfrom state-mandated vaccinations. Senator John Loudon of Ballwin introduces to a Senate committee a bill that adds one more exemption to that list – philosophical opposition. Loudon points out that 17 states now allow philosophical exemptions to vaccinations and all have about the same vaccination rate as Missouri at more than 95 percent. But Senator Charles Wheeler of Kansas City, a medical doctor in his own right, says we don’t want to be in that company. He calls those states backward. Some of the states include California, Wisconsin, and Washington State. Other opponents of the bill say this could cause widespread epidemics of diseases controlled by vaccinations. Loudon points to the other states which still have high vaccinations rates and no outbreaks of diseases.
