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(Des Moines, IA) -- Schools may soon have to communicate information on vaccine exemptions under a bill crossing the finish line in the Iowa Legislature. House File 299 would require districts to post information on their websites and include it in information given when registering. State Sen. Jesse Green (R-Harcourt) said it's about correcting a few bad actors.
"What's troubling to me is a handful of schools that decide it's okay to lie to parents," Green said. "That if you don't receive shots you can't send your kids to school. That is a lie. And our parents in the state of Iowa deserve better."
Some opponents, however, argue the bill is about more than informing parents. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner (D-Iowa City) is one of them.
"This bill sends the wrong message," Weiner said. "This bill seeks to ensure that more people feel free and are actually encouraged to opt out of lifesaving vaccines."
She also alluded to a recent outbreak of Measles, which began in Texas. According to the National Institutes of Health, the disease requires a 95% vaccination rate to ensure herd immunity.
"People can already opt out [of vaccines]," Weiner said. "This is unnecessary and, in my view, irresponsible."
Supporters maintain that the bill is simply about communication. State Sen. Dennis Guth (R-Klemme) managed the bill, and he recalled a story from the bill's subcommittee meeting. He said they heard from a mother whose child was injured by a vaccine and therefore exempt. She told another mother that there are exemptions, but the school pushed back.
"The school official said 'I'm sorry, no shots no school,'" Guth said. "That's just not the truth. We have a law in Iowa, and this will help make sure that law is upheld."
The bill is now headed to Governor Kim Reynolds' desk for final approval.