| ALERT - New bill would
strengthen religious exemptions to NY mandated vaccinations
27 January 2009
Dear fellow NYers,
New York State Assembly bill A.883, sponsored by Assemblyman
Gottfried, was reported from the NYS Assembly Health Committee
and is scheduled to be voted on by the Assembly soon. The
purpose of the bill is "to protect parents from
inappropriate and intrusive inquiry into their religious beliefs
by government authorities." This bill is considered
controversial; therefore, action to support the bill is
needed ASAP.
We at NYVIC consider this a very important bill, especially
to those of you who have claimed a religious exemption to
vaccination and have been questioned or
"second-guessed" about your religious beliefs. Please
bear in mind: Having your religious exemption
"approved" by local authorities is not a guarantee
that you will not be questioned again as your child moves up
through the grades - particularly, if you move to a different
school district.
If you are a NY State resident, we urge you to write your
Assembly representative today asking for his/her support and to
vote for Bill A.883 when it comes to the floor of the Assembly.
You can find contact info about your representative at:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/
http://takeaction.lwv.org/lwv/dbq/officials/
In addition to your own representative, please write or
Cc:
Explain why you think the bill is important and include some
details if you have had to undergo extensive and intrusive
questioning about your religious beliefs. Be brief and focus on
the purpose of this bill, i.e., to protect parents from
intrusive questioning about their religious beliefs. (NOTE:
NYVIC does not advise introducing extraneous issues like
Philosophical exemptions, vaccine safety, etc., into your email
about this bill.)
For the email to be reviewed by the legislators, you should
include your name and NY address.
You can read more about bill A.883 on the NY Assembly website
at: http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A00883.
Thank you,
the NYVIC team
New Yorkers for Vaccination Information and Choice
Vaccination Bills in NYS Legislature - 2009 Update
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