Nonprofit organization "Louisiana Families for Vaccines" voice concerns over proposed bills – WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - A group fighting against anti-vaccination legislation protested at the Capitol on Monday.

The nonprofit group Louisiana Families for Vaccines is hoping six of the 13 proposed bills will not become law. Group leaders said some of the bills would prohibit the requirement of vaccines in schools, ban COVID-19 vaccine requirements and require blood donors to disclose their vaccination status. Protest organizers said these bills are spreading mistruths.

"Ultimately, disinformation is deadly and it deserves no hospitality of the legislature floor," vaccine advocate Crystal Rommen said. "A lot of the legislation that we're seeing come through the House and the Senate are trying to limit access to vaccines. We see things that are based in misinformation."

One bill, HB 866, will allow for individuals to submit vaccine exemptions to allow them access into any public facility regardless of their vaccination status.

"Louisiana has one of the broadest vaccination exemption policies in the nations. We have non-medical exemptions including religious and philosophical. Of course, we also have medical exemptions for people who truly can't be vaccinated," Rommen said.

Pediatrician Mikki Bouquet says the legislature should be recommending vaccines to promote a healthier state.

"We need strong public policies that are evidence-based that state vaccines are safe, effective and healthy," Bouquet said.

HB 288, which would require autopsy reports for infants include immunization records, failed to pass.

The following bills are still making their way through the legislature:

- Allow unvaccinated students to remain in class with immunocompromised students during an outbreak (HB 908) - Require teenagers to have parental consent for immunizations (HB 711) - Prohibit businesses, schools and government entities from requiring COVID-19 vaccines or masks (HB 87) - Prohibit schools from requiring COVID-19 vaccines (HB 46) - Require blood donors to disclose vaccination status (HB 822) - Prohibit Louisiana from using CDC Public Health recommendations (HB 809)

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Nonprofit organization "Louisiana Families for Vaccines" voice concerns over proposed bills - WBRZ