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PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach no longer wants parents to have the option to not vaccinate their kids for religious or philosophical reasons in the commonwealth.
“This is something that I think is extremely important because of the public health ramifications,” Leach told Marty and Wendy on KDKA Radio. “We are seeing diseases that were once eradicated surging back because we start listening to people like (actress) Jenny McCarthy rather than scientists and actual studies.”
The Montgomery County Democrat adds that the religious or philosophical reason for not getting a child vaccinated is “bogus”.
“One of the ways you can tell it’s bogus is because of all of the hundreds of people that have written to argue with me, not one of them has mentioned religion,” said Leach. “They say that vaccines are horrible for whatever reason, that’s not the issues. We’ve already decided as a nation unanimously that people have to get vaccinated, that children have to get vaccinated.”
To those that say they have a right to decide what is best for them and their children, Leach says, “You don’t have the right to do, even with your own child what you want. If you’re child had diabetes and you said you know what I’m not giving him insulin well children’s services would be at your house in about 20 minutes.”
Leach says it’s important that as many children are vaccinated as possible because some children cannot be vaccinated because they are on chemotherapy or other issue that can compromise the immune system.
“If your child is a carrier of one of these diseases and comes in contact with a person who can’t get vaccinated, that person is at risk of again grave health repercussions . . . we don’t have that right to expose other people’s children to the sort of health risks that unvaccinated children in school provide.”
Leach adds it isn’t an issue of politics and that conservative and liberal states have got rid of the exemption.
“Keep in mind, states as different as California and Mississippi are doing this.”
Out of every issue that he deals with on a daily basis, Leach says that he gets more mail about vaccinations than any other subject.
The bill is currently in the PA House health committee.
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