West Virginia Gov. Justice breaks with GOP Legislature to veto invoice rolling again college vaccine rule
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday broke with West Virginia’s GOP-majority Legislature to veto a bill that might have loosened one of many nation’s strictest college vaccination insurance policies.
West Virginia is just one of a handful of states within the U.S. that provides solely medical exemptions to vaccine necessities. The invoice would have allowed some college students who don’t attend conventional public establishments or take part in group extracurriculars like sports activities to be exempt from vaccinations usually required for kids beginning day care or college.
“Our children are our future,” Justice mentioned in a letter explaining the veto. “They’re our most essential useful resource, and I’ll defend them with every part I’ve.”
The governor mentioned “West Virginia is approach forward of the pack” in defending kids from preventable ailments like measles due to its college vaccine coverage. He mentioned he needed to defer to the licensed medical professionals who “overwhelmingly” spoke out in opposition to the laws.
“I hear how strongly individuals consider in a single facet or the opposite on this topic, and I respect all opinions,” he mentioned. “However I need to comply with the steering of our medical specialists on this topic.”
Justice, who’s operating for Democrat U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat, obtained immense stress to reject the invoice from well being care leaders, educators and oldsters. He refused to reply whether or not or not he deliberate to signal it earlier than Wednesday’s veto, saying he wanted time to suppose via the choice.
The veto got here on the final day earlier than a key deadline that might have allowed the invoice to enter legislation with out Justice’s signature.
The invoice, which obtained majority help in each legislative chambers even with an amazing lack of help from well being care leaders, would have exempted personal and parochial colleges from state legislation and allowed them to develop and implement their very own insurance policies on vaccinations. Digital-only public college college students would even have been exempt.
All college students taking part in West Virginia college actions that end in competitors, together with however not restricted to sports activities, would nonetheless have wanted to be vaccinated.
The invoice was publicly opposed by the pinnacle of the state’s two lecturers unions, the West Virginia Hospital Affiliation and the West Virginia Medical Affiliation, amongst different organizations.
Dr. Clay Marsh, West Virginia College’s vice chairman and government dean for well being sciences, additionally urged Justice to vote towards the invoice. As COVID-19 Czar for the State of West Virginia, Marsh was tapped as a trusted advisor when it got here to stopping unfold of the virus within the state.
Justice was hailed by state well being care leaders for his pro-vaccine stance throughout the coronavirus pandemic. When the COVID-19 vaccine was developed, Justice was among the many first prime elected officers within the nation to obtain a shot, even livestreaming the inoculation on social media.
Earlier than Justice vetoed the invoice, Kanawha-Charleston Well being Officer Dr. Steven Eshenaur mentioned he was deeply fearful in regards to the penalties that might come from the laws being made legislation.
“Sure, private freedom is significant to our lifestyle in West Virginia and America, and I’m all for it,” he mentioned in an announcement. “However not when the lives of kids are at risk.”
Eshenaur mentioned state leaders owe it to kids to maintain them secure, wholesome and freed from incapacity if it’s of their energy to take action.
“Hear this on repeat: In case you are anti-vaccination, you might be pro-disease. It’s so simple as that,” he mentioned.
West Virginia legislation requires kids to obtain vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis-b, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough, except they obtain a medical exemption. West Virginia doesn’t require COVID-19 vaccinations.
Well being care leaders say different states have used West Virginia’s immunization necessities as a mannequin to strengthen their immunization necessities after experiencing measles outbreaks. West Virginia, together with California, Connecticut, Maine and New York, are the one states with out nonmedical vaccination necessities.
However a rising variety of mother and father within the state have expressed frustration with the state’s coverage and say they need to have the liberty to make their very own choices about their kids’s vaccination standing.
West Virginia College Faculty of Drugs Professor Dr. Alvin Moss was one in every of a handful of medical doctors supportive of the invoice, arguing earlier than the Senate Well being Committee that the state’s present obligatory vaccination coverage is medically unethical as a result of it doesn’t enable knowledgeable consent.
In 2017, the anti-vaccine requirement group West Virginians for Well being Freedom had 300 households as members. The group has grown to no less than 3,000 members in 2024, Moss mentioned.
The bill’s original intent, as launched within the state Home of Delegates, was to eradicate vaccine necessities for college kids in public digital colleges. It was expanded in a Home committee to permit personal colleges to set their very own vaccination requirements, except a pupil participates in sanctioned athletics.
The invoice additionally created a non secular exemption for any baby whose mother and father or guardians current a letter stating the kid can’t be vaccinated for spiritual causes. That was taken out within the Senate.
