The Opportunity to Protect Our Rights and Our Children

By William Newell

Medical technology has miraculously saved millions of lives. Our constitutionally limited, representative government is just as miraculous. Both are designed to improve the human condition. Sometimes though medicine and government clash. The ongoing debate in Oregon concerning religious exemptions from vaccinations exemplifies this conflict.

Over 90 percent of Oregon parents currently vaccinate their children, but the state legislature still passed Senate Bill 132 which requires proof that parents seeking a religious exemption have been notified of the benefits and risks of vaccines. The legislation targets religious individuals because of their beliefs and burdens those individuals with complying to state desires. The Constitution of Oregon makes clear the state’s duty to protect religious liberty under Article 1, Section 3, which reads: “no law shall in any case whatever control the free exercise, and enjoyment of religeous (sic) opinions, or interfere with the rights of conscience.”

Additionally, placing informed consent stipulations on religious parents serves little purpose because such information is widely accessible from doctors and government websites. Mandating parents watch a video or see a doctor is not going to change people’s minds. While vaccinating children is worthwhile, this legislation will not be very effective and undermines our precious constitutional rights.

William Newell is a research associate at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free-market think tank.

Learn more at cascadepolicy.org.