As I wrote below, the 2020 battle over whether to make South Dakota the only state in the country that stripped state law of vaccination for school children has the potential to rise to the top of the South Dakota primary elections.
But it wasn’t the only battle over required vaccinations in recent history.
In 2016, after outbreaks and deaths preceding the session, the Department of Health asked the legislature to join the national trend of adding meningitis to the required vaccination schedule for school children. And 2016’s Senate Bill 28 was not without controversy:
As noted in the Rapid City Journal at the time (Feb 5, 2016),
After the fight to kill the measure in House Health and Human Services, the bill came to a floor vote, where it passed on a vote of 42-25, with the more conservative element of the House caucus voting against adding vaccination for meningitis to the vaccination schedule:
Here’s the Senate Vote as well:
As we fast forward 4 years, not a lot has changed, and many of those who were opposed to adding it to the vaccination schedule found themselves also sponsoring the 2020 anti-vaccination measure House Bill 1235. HB 1235 sponsors Brock Greenfield and Phil Jensen were no votes in the Senate, along with Prime Sponsor Lee Qualm, Tom Brunner, Lana Greenfield, and Isaac Latterell who were all no votes in the House.
A noteworthy item for the 2020 campaign cycle, in 2016, Congressional hopeful Liz Marty May was among the people voting “nay” to the proposal to add vaccination against meningitis to South Dakota’s school vaccination schedule.
As Liz bleats Cull the herd! Cull the herd! on Facebook, where she claws for traction, her campaign has literally withered and died since the coronavirus epidemic hit.
Having only kicked off her campaign, and unable to hold events – much less travel East of the Missouri River – it’s a little ironic that she was one of those opposed to the addition of a deadly disease that we have a vaccine for to school children’s vaccination schedule, when another deadly disease that we don’t have a vaccine for yet has taken her campaign and completely dashed it on the rocks.
And the campaign rolls on.
Thank you for all this. Some issue transcend party politics and this is clearly one of them. I appreciate your keeping this on the front burner.
Wisdom, Temperance, Prudence and Justice are the Cardinal Virtues not mindlessly adhering to an ideology. Just saying.
I would rather cull the herd than be the herd mentality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye7CtNEUm8M
Translation: I would rather people die than be wrong.
I wouldn’t go that far. I am still alive.
What is the deal with Haugaard and Qualm not supporting vaccinating kids? Some people just aren’t cut out for legislating although having said that I don’t think they’re very good at their day jobs either!
Good grief. It’s highly doubtful Haugaard and Qualm would not support parents vaccinating their children. You think it could be more about them supporting the freedom to choose? My body, my choice, Right?
You may find peace in being forced to vaccinate your children, but hundreds of thousands of people are suspicious of vaccines and want the choice. Many parents want to separate out the vaccinations, not have them given all at once. Haugaard and Qualm would support that choice.
I’m guessing you’re talking out your ass and making an assumption at what Haugaard and Qualm support. And, what do have to worry about? If your vaccinations are up-to-date, you are protected.
That’s the same argument for abortion.
Parents are required to provide their children with food, shelter, education, supervision, car seats and medical care.
If a child dies as a result of neglect, it is customary to file criminal charges, unless the neglect was a failure to follow their physician’s recommendation for immunizations. If a child dies because they had refused to give him something like insulin or antibiotics, they face criminal charges. But if he dies because they didn’t get him immunized, they get a pass.
Why is it legal for anti-Vaxxers to kill their children but nobody else?
When a child has an adverse reaction to a vaccine and becomes paralyzed or dies why is it that parents cannot hold the pharmaceutical companies accountable?