A sometimes rowdy crowd, where parents, and some children, opposing the bill filled the small committee room and hallway outside. Attendees applauded and nodded when a lawmaker or speaker said something they agreed with.
“We are founded on the principles of religious freedom,” said Rebecca Watson of South Carolinians 4 Freedom. “That includes not restricting basic access to services that we pay for.”
“My daughter is due to go University of South Carolina Columbia next year, and so that would prevent someone like my daughter from being able to follow her dreams,” Amanda Hovis said of the religious exemption ban.
Many laughed when South Carolina’s state epidemiologist told lawmakers there is no evidence the MMR vaccine caused autism.
Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, the sponsor of the religious exemption ban, asked security to keep a woman from gesturing at her while she spoke.
The packed hearing came during the 22nd week of a historic measles outbreak in the Upstate. Since the outbreak began last year, there have been 990 confirmed cases, with 923 occurring in unvaccinated individuals. More people taking the MMR vaccine can help prevent or slow an outbreak, said Dr. Linda Bell, the state epidemiologist. If a population is 95% vaccinated against measles, an outbreak can be prevented, she said. Vaccination rates have also skyrocketed this year in South Carolina and Spartanburg County, the epicenter of the outbreak, Bell told lawmakers.
The measles outbreak inspired Matthews to propose barring children who are not vaccinated against measles from attending school or daycare without a medical exemption. A panel of lawmakers voted 6-2 to “continue” her bill, effectively killing the legislation for the year, said state Sen. Tom Corbin, R-Greenville. Matthews questioned why her bill couldn’t have another hearing.
Parents can obtain religious or medical vaccine requirement exemptions for their children in South Carolina, allowing students to bypass vaccine requirements and still attend school or daycare. Matthew’s bill would remove religious exemptions for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Almost 5,500, or 9.6% of students, have religious exemptions in Spartanburg County, according to state public health data.
Matthews said her bill would protect children, particularly kids who couldn’t be immunized for medical reasons. Parents could still opt out of immunizing their children for religious reasons; they just couldn’t send their kid to public school or day care, she said.
“This is about the children,” Matthews said. “This is about education. If you as a parent, regardless of whether it’s religious or non-religious, decide that you don’t want any vaccination in your child’s body, that is your right.”
“If you don’t want that, you still should not be allowed to send your unvaccinated child to school,” Matthews continued.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses, Bell said. It can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, weakened immune systems, permanent disabilities and death years after a patient recovers, she said.
“By maintaining high population coverage, we’re protecting those who cannot be vaccinated,” Bell told lawmakers.
Opponents of the bill, including Sen. Matt Leber, R-Charleston, argued the legislation infringed on religious and personal freedom. Parents would unfairly have to find a way to educate their unvaccinated children outside regular school, opposed lawmakers and speakers said.
“The chances of an unvaccinated child giving a vaccinated child the measles is so rare that it’s not worth taking their rights away,” Leber said to claps from attendees. “It’s just not worth taking away any inalienable rights from any parent or any child.”
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, who said his Spartanburg district has been the most impacted by the measles outbreak, voted to continue the bill. While he wants more people to be vaccinated against measles, protecting religious exemptions is also important, Kimbrell said.
“People want to make it an either/or argument, that you either are for religious liberty exemptions or you’re for having people vaccinated against measles,” Kimbrell said. “I view that as a false choice.”
Banning Vaccine Mandate Proceeds
State Sen. Carlisle Kennedy, R-Lexington, said his newborn son with a fatal fetal anomaly impacting his kidneys pushed him to file a bill banning vaccine mandates for infants.
His son wouldn’t be able to “detox” vaccines’ ingredients, Kennedy said. The bill, which says no vaccine can be mandated for children under 24 months, passed the same panel of lawmakers Wednesday.
“It protects the parents and the child and protects parental rights to make the decision as to when would be the best time to proceed with a medical products like the vaccine,” Kennedy said.
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