Charleston Gazette-Mail. March 29, 2024.
Editorial: Justice made right call in vetoing anti-vax bill
Gov. Jim Justice is to be commended for not only doing the right thing, but also bucking political expedience in vetoing a bill that would have loosened West Virginia’s immunization requirements for children in public virtual schools, private schools and parochial schools.
Proponents of the bill likely would never acknowledge it, but Justice’s decision will protect children’s health and save lives.
West Virginia is one of five states that will waive immunization requirements for children entering school and child care only for a medical reason, such as an allergy to the vaccine. Because West Virginia does not allow religious or philosophical exemptions, the state has one of the best child immunization records in the nation. More importantly, the state has not been hit in recent years with outbreaks of mostly eradicated diseases like the measles, which have resurfaced elsewhere after many states started allowing religious and philosophical exemptions.
Vaccinations have been proven safe and effective, and not only protect a child’s health but also that of teachers, school service personnel, parents and entire communities. As has often been said by public health professionals, this is one area where West Virginia, typically at the bottom of the nation for anything involving public health, truly excels.
Anti-vax movements have been around for a while, previously spurred by since-debunked pseudo-science that claimed to link immunizations to conditions such as autism. In fact, right-wing lawmakers in West Virginia have tried numerous times to loosen immunization requirements for all schools, including public institutions. Such efforts could certainly resurface, but, if Justice hadn’t vetoed this bill, the door would have been flung wide open.
Unfortunately, anti-vaxxers picked up significant momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing mainstream attention to farcical conspiracy theories about vaccines and also deploying a shift in tactics, framing the argument as one of personal freedom (conveniently ignoring that exercising one’s “personal freedom” in some situations could make someone else seriously ill or even kill them).
This further politicized an issue that shouldn’t be political at all. Rest assured, Justice, who is running for the U.S. Senate, will take some political blowback for this from the far-right fringe that seems ever more in control of the Republican Party.
Indeed, his opponent in the Republican primary, Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., has already blasted Justice’s veto as “disregarding religious freedom” and “parental rights.”
Mooney didn’t specify which religion promotes transmitting communicable diseases that are preventable through immunization. It’s also debatable whether parents should have the “right” to expose their children and, by extension, many others, to previously eradicated and serious communicable diseases. But such vacant blathering is to be expected of Mooney, even if he weren’t down massively in the polls and desperate to find a foothold.
It’s not like Justice is an immunization purist, either. During COVID, when vaccines were first made available, West Virginia stunned the nation in compiling the highest vaccination rates in the country. Justice was the darling of national media, as the folksy bard of an underdog tale.
Within a few months, though, West Virginia had some of the lowest vaccination rates in the nation and, at one point, the highest COVID death rate per-capita of any state.
When the vaccines were only available to the elderly or those with serious health problems, it was easy to get to them and get them vaccinated. Once vaccines were available to the public, it became a matter of getting the public to come to the vaccine, which proved to be much more difficult. Justice’s straddling of the fence and caving to political pressure didn’t help.
All that aside, Justice made the right decision to veto House Bill 5105 and, in so doing, put public health above petty, election-year nonsense. Mooney’s criticism is cynical and, frankly, unfair. Protecting West Virginia’s children from measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, chicken pox and whooping cough should be a public health issue, not a political or religious bone to pick.
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The Intelligencer. April 2, 2024.
Editorial: Keeping W.Va. Children Safe
Gov. Jim Justice had a lot on his plate this past week, as he scrambled to handle the hundreds of bills that crossed his desk for a signature, veto or to remain untouched. In the midst of it all, Justice made an important decision in vetoing House Bill 5105, which would have eliminated the vaccine requirements for public virtual schools, private schools and parochial schools.
He ignored the wishes of some in the Legislature and instead listened to the experts who understand the legislation’s danger.
“Since this legislation was passed, I have heard constant, strong opposition … from our state’s medical community,” Justice said in his veto letter. “The overwhelming majority that have voiced their opinion believe that this legislation will do irreparable harm by crippling childhood immunity to diseases such as mumps and measles.”
Rather than allow the Mountain State to slip backward on the one issue we handle better than any other state, Justice took a stand.
“West Virginia is way ahead of the pack in protecting our children from preventable diseases like the measles, and in this matter, I will defer to our licensed medical professionals who have come forward overwhelmingly to say this bill could and likely would result in reduced immunity and harm to West Virginia’s kids,” Justice said. “Our kids are our future. They are our most important resource, and I will protect them with everything I have.”
It is a necessary point. Those who pretended their priority was protecting children only when it suited the rest of their political agenda should take note. Justice took the right stand here in keeping West Virginia at the top of the class with immunizations.
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The Journal. March 29, 2024.
Editorial: Take note
Gov. Jim Justice had a lot on his plate this week, as he scrambled to handle the hundreds of bills that crossed his desk for a signature, veto or to remain untouched. In the midst of it all, Justice made an important decision — and one that was absolutely correct.
Justice vetoed House Bill 5105, which would have eliminated the vaccine requirements for public virtual schools, private schools and parochial schools.
He ignored the insanity coming from those lawmakers who genuinely seem to be working against West Virginia residents these days, and instead listened to the input from educated and experienced medical experts who understood the danger.
“Since this legislation was passed, I have heard constant, strong opposition to this legislation from our State’s medical community,” Justice said in his veto letter. “The overwhelming majority that have voiced their opinion believe that this legislation will do irreparable harm by crippling childhood immunity to diseases such as mumps and measles.”
Rather than allow the Mountain State to slip backward on the one issue we handle better than any other state, Justice took a stand.
“West Virginia is way ahead of the pack in protecting our children from preventable diseases like the measles, and in this matter, I will defer to our licensed medical professionals who have come forward overwhelmingly to say this bill could and likely would result in reduced immunity and harm to West Virginia’s kids,” Justice said. “Our kids are our future. They are our most important resource, and I will protect them with everything I have.”
It is a necessary point. Those who pretended their priority was protecting children only when it suited the rest of their political agenda should take note.
END