From the February 2003 Idaho Observer:

VacLib to testify before Idaho House, Senate H&W Committees

Group seeks to amend law, become first state to enforce voluntary vaccination

by Vaccination Liberation

Ingri Cassel of Spirit Lake, Angie Vasquez of Burley and Christie Schutz of Boise are scheduled to testify before the House Health and Welfare Committee February 26, 2003. Their goal is to convince the legislature to amend existing state law regarding the enforcement of statutes intended to protect citizens' right to abstain from vaccination.

“A large percentage of people experience adverse reaction to vaccines. The state has no business making vaccination compulsory for enrollment in public school or participation in any other endeavor unless it is willing to accept liability for damages,” Cassel commented.

Current law

Idaho's current immunization statutes allow for medical, religious and personal conviction exemptions from recommended vaccinations, although many people are unaware of this fact. In 1999, Idaho's Immunization Tracking Registry was introduced by then Senator Jack Riggs as SB 1183. Although it was the most hotly contested bill that year with dozens of parents of vaccine-damaged children testifying against it, it was signed into law in March 1999. To appease the concerns of the parents testifying against what is now known as IRIS (Immunization Reminder Information System), Representative Bill Sali added a second amendment to SB 1183 which is now known as IC 39-4804 NOTIFICATION TO PARENT OR GUARDIAN. It states:

Before an immunization is administered to any child in this state, the parent or guardian of the child shall be notified that

(1) Immunizations are not mandatory and may be refused on religious or other grounds;

(2) Participation in the immunization registry is voluntary;

(3) The parent or guardian is entitled to an accurate explanation of the complications known to follow such immunization.

“This well-intended amendment to Idaho's statue makes it clear that immunizations are completely voluntary in Idaho, yet most people are unaware of this law,” Cassel explained. “In fact, two Idaho attorneys have misinterpreted this law to read that IC 39-4804 only applies to school children.”

The other problem is there are no penalties for violating this law, as well as no provisions for enforcing it. The Idaho Chapter of Vaccination Liberation receives personal testimonies weekly from Idaho residents who have been denied employment, threatened to be terminated, or have had their children refused at a daycare or school for refusal to vaccinate.

The smallpox example

Recently, thousands of healthcare professionals have refused to receive the outdated, inadequately tested and thus experimental smallpox vaccine. The Bush administration expected to vaccinate 500,000 medical personnel by the end of February. So far, only 687 nationwide have volunteered to receive the smallpox vaccination. A number of medical unions are urging their members to refuse the vaccine due to inadequate federal compensation for people who may suffer serious side effects. Since there have been no longterm safety or efficacy studies done on any of the vaccines currently licensed and recommended for use in America, all are in fact experimental drugs.

Federal compensation for vaccine damage

In 1986, the federal government passed the Vaccine Injury Compensation Act to address the financial burdens of hundreds of families caring for vaccine-injured children or to cover the premature death of a child due to a vaccine. To date, over $1.4 billion has been released to families through this program. However, only 25 percent of families/individuals who apply to the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program are awarded financial compensation. Because these cases are federal, they can only be litigated in Washington, D.C. This in itself is a heavy burden to Idaho families.

A cure worse than the disease

Due to increased awareness of the dangers inherent in vaccinations, many have opted to deal with the risk of getting the disease, which is treatable, rather than risk the possibility of dealing with a vaccine injury that is not treatable. “But when faced with loss of employment opportunities and inability to register their children for daycare or school, it becomes apparent that our current immunization law must be amended once again,” Cassel said.

VacLib is currently seeking testimonies from those who have been denied employment, school entry or access to services for refusing to vaccinate themselves or their children OR were coerced into receiving a vaccine in order to keep their job or receive medical attention. The group asks that writen testimonies include the date(s) of occurrences, name of the person, school, employer, or agency denying services or employment. Send your story to Vaccination Liberation - Idaho Chapter, P.O. Box 1444, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816 or vaclib@coldreams.com no later than February 23. VacLib needs a number of testimonies from around Idaho to justify the need for their proposed amendment to Idaho's current immunization laws. If you believe that our most fundamental of human rights is the right to own our bodies, we need to hear from you.

Vaccination Liberation has developed one of the most comprehensive vaccine literature websties in the world. To find out more about the vaccine issue, visit the website at www.vaclib.org.

The Idaho Chapter of Vaccination Liberation has proposed the following amendments to I.C. 39 - 4804:

NOTIFICATION TO PARENT, GUARDIAN OR ADULT VACCINE RECIPIENT.

Before an immunization is administered to an adult or child in this state, the parent or guardian of the child or adult vaccine recipient shall be notified that

1) Vaccinations are not mandatory and may be refused on medical, religious or other grounds;

2) No person shall be denied employment for asserting their right to abstain from any particular vaccine;

3) Participation in the immunization registry is voluntary; no child or parent will be entered into the registry unless there is a signed statement in writing authorizing the state to enter them into the registry;

4) The parent, guardian or adult vaccine recipient is entitled to an accurate explanation of known adverse reactions that can occur as a result of the vaccine. This information must come from both the manufacturer's package insert and independent sources not funded by the state or pharmaceutical industry.

Any healthcare provider or employer who provably violates this section is subject to a $1000 fine.