by Cathie Adams, President, cathieadams@texaseagle.org
Legislative Advertising, Texas Eagle Forum, Cathie Adams, P.O. Box 795354, Dallas, TX 75379.

Texas Eagle Forum Statement to Immunization Registry Stakeholders Group

The Texas Immunization Registry is an opt-in listing managed by the Texas Department of Health that tracks the vaccination records of Texas children. Under the current opt-in designation, parents must give consent to the Texas Department of Health to place their child's name in the registry. Some groups have been advocating a change to the registry which would make it an opt-out program, meaning parents would have to specifically direct the TDH not to add their child's name to the registry, placing the burden squarely on parents to protect the privacy of their child's medical records. In addition, parents in Texas do not have the option of declining required vaccinations for their children for "reasons of conscience." Parent's can only exempt their child from mandatory vaccinations if their religious belief system doctrinally forbids its adherents from participating in such activities. A Stakeholders Group has been formed in Austin to address these and other issues relating to vaccination policy. The following is a statement released by Texas Eagle Forum to the members of the Immunization Registry Stakeholders Group and the Lieutenant Governor's office outlining TEF's position on the status of the registry, and the need for "conscientious exemption" legislation.

12-11-00

Statement to Immunization Registry Stakeholders:

The issue of mandatory child vaccination presents a particularly difficult challenge to the sacred right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children in a manner consistent with their respective consciences. As a pro-family organization with over 2,500 active members, Texas Eagle Forum (TEF) has consistently defended parental rights in the arena of public policy, and is dedicated to working for passage of legislation that will further protect and defend these rights at a statewide level. As part of our commitment to defending parental rights, TEF strongly supports the maintenance of an opt-in immunization registry, and the passage of legislation that would protect the rights of parents to receive conscientious exemptions from required vaccinations.

The status of Texas' immunization registry as an opt-in program protects the rights of those parents who choose to protect the privacy of their children's medical records. Without the ability to withhold such sensitive information from inclusion in the registry, parents who receive exemptions could face stigmatization and coercive pressure if such information became available inadvertently. Because of the potential for abuse, the registry must remain an opt-in program. Furthermore, TEF urges all medical professionals and the Texas Department of Health to only release medical data for which appropriate consent has been obtained.

In addition to maintaining the opt-in status of the immunization registry, TEF fully supports the passage of legislation that would allow Texas parents to receive exemptions from required vaccinations for reasons of conscience. The current law regarding exemptions is too narrowly crafted, and could potentially exclude those who wish to exempt their children from certain vaccinations, but whose official religious creed does not meet the state-imposed test.

As a matter of public health, TEF acknowledges that some vaccinations have produced public benefits. Experimental imposition of excessive rounds of vaccinations on young children, however, is unacceptable (especially when some of these immunizations address sexually transmitted diseases) because room must be made for parents whose consciences cannot permit the administration of these drugs to their children.

Sincerely,
Cathie Adams
President, Texas Eagle Forum