A House subcommittee has advanced a bill that would eliminate vaccine requirements for Iowa children to enter elementary and secondary school.
The bill (HF2171) would end the state’s current requirement that students are vaccinated against nine diseases, including hepatitis B, whooping cough, measles and meningitis. State law currently allows for medical and religious exemptions.
Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, supports the bill and said the exemptions aren’t enough.
“You either really have to have a medical concern, or you have to claim that you're religious, and I think that's coercing parents into a situation in which they're not able to utilize their parental right [and] find the right vaccination schedule for their child,” Boden said.
Opponents of the bill say that vaccine requirements in schools are important to reach herd immunity and protect kids who cannot be vaccinated, and parents can already request exemptions to vaccine requirements.
“This bill is dangerous for our kids, and I don't know why we would be telling families in Iowa that we do not value public health or making sure that their kids are healthy,” said Rep. Heather Matson, R-Ankeny.