This is a Letter to the Editor submitted by one of our volunteers:
A current bill in the NJ Assembly (A3818/S2173; Senate version is similar) will eliminate the Religious Exemption (RE) to mandatory vaccination. If the RE is eliminated, all NJ children will have to follow the State’s vaccination schedule or be removed from school. The current CDC childhood vaccine schedule recommends 72 doses, up from 24 doses in 1983. There will be no option to opt out of the flu shot for pre-school children. A flu shot, which according to CDC data, has a 39.9% rate of effectiveness over the past 15 years. There is also the question of controlling what the government can approve for future injection. Shortly after the RE was removed in NY, a bill was introduced to require both boys and girls to receive the HPV vaccine. NJ already has a similar HPV bill proposed (A1847).
The greater good/protection of the immunocompromised is the primary rationale given for the removal of the RE. This assertion is untenable for many reasons. First, a number of vaccines (DTaP, Hep B, Hib) do not even claim to protect the greater good according to the CDC. Second, vaccines have yet to provide herd immunity due to primary and secondary vaccine failure. Third, current vaccination practices for chickenpox, shingles, rotavirus, and MMR don’t protect the immunocompromised due to live vaccine shedding.
The removal of NJ’s RE will eliminate an individual’s right to choose what is injected into their body without providing any discernible impact on human health. Please visit www.njvaccinescience.org to find more detailed information from the CDC about each vaccine and links to contact your District 11 State Representatives.