Last year, the act to eliminate nonmedical exemptions for vaccine requirements did not make it to a vote in the Connecticut state legislature. It has been re-introduced for the 2021 legislative session by Senator Mary Daugherty Abrams of Connecticut's 13th District as SB 568, An Act Eliminating the Nonmedical Exemption to the Immunization Requirement. If passed, the bill would eliminate the nonmedical exemption to the immunization requirement for individuals attending public or private school from prekindergarten through grade twelve, individuals in higher education and children in day care settings in the state of Connecticut.
In order to protect the most vulnerable among us, it's important to urge your state legislators to support this bill. You can look up your state representative and state senator at this link. You may use the sample language below to reach out to them by email:
"I am writing to you about my support for Senate Bill 568 – An Act Eliminating The Non-medical Exemption To The Immunization Requirement. I know that school and childcare requirements are central to protecting our children. Some infants are too young to receive vaccines. Some children are unable to receive vaccines because they have cancer and other medical conditions. The health and ability of these vulnerable children to be able to attend school depends on knowing that schools and childcare settings are safe and free of vaccine-preventable diseases. Parents always have and will have the ability to choose not to immunize their child for non-medical reasons. But their choices should not impact the safety of vulnerable kids who have no choice."
Yale Pediatrics' residents testified in Hartford in support of last year's bill and will continue to advocate in support of SB 568 to ensure the health and safety of children in Connecticut.
If you're short on time, there is a MoveOn.org petition in support of the bill that you can sign that's just shy of its goal and will be delivered to the Connecticut Public Health Committee. Please add your name, even if you sent an email to your representative!