Constituents press Maine Democrat to back a bill that would limit vaccine exemptions

ROCKPORT, Maine — Sen. Dave Miramant, D-Camden, was the only Democratic lawmaker to testify last month against a bill that would remove non-medical exemptions that allow children who have not been vaccinated to attend Maine schools.

His opposition to the bill, which won a party-line committee recommendation earlier this week, troubled some constituents. At a meeting on Friday, about a dozen of them, including several nurses and doctors, urged him to reconsider his stance.

“I think in this nice world that we live in in midcoast Maine, we can forget that there are some very bad things in this world, and some of them are diseases,” said Dr. Adeline Winkes, a Pen Bay Medical Center pediatrician. “I am very much an advocate for vaccines whenever they can safely be given […] I’m concerned based on what you testified that you’re coming at this without adequate information.”

In his testimony on the bill, LD 798, Miramant said he opposes removing religious or philosophical vaccination exemptions because it removes the freedom of a parent or guardian to choose vaccination schedules they feel are safest for their children. If passed, the bill would require those parents to vaccinate their children before they are enrolled in a public school.

Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2019/04/12/news/midcoast/constituents-press-maine-democrat-to-back-a-bill-that-would-limit-vaccine-exemptions/