As New York’s measles outbreak approaches one thousand confirmed cases, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Brad Hoylman are poised to eliminate non-medical exemptions to school vaccine requirements.
After months of increasingly urgent demands from the medical community and families of immuno-compromised children for action to combat the ongoing measles outbreak, controversial legislation from Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Brad Hoylman appears to be on the precipice of becoming state law. On Thursday, the Assembly and State Senate both approved a measure which would repeal all non-medical exemptions to school vaccine requirements. The legislation follows California’s lead, who enacted a similar repeal of non-medical exemptions after a measles outbreak in 2015 and saw their statewide vaccination rates rise almost 5% in just three years. Once signed, New York would become the fifth state to ban all non-medical exemptions joining California, Mississippi, West Virginia, and most recently Maine.
The non-medical exemption repeal effort in New York has been ongoing since 2015, but was infused with new urgency as New York has become the epicenter of the largest measles outbreak in the United States since 1992. Since the current outbreak began in September 2018, New York State has confirmed over 850 measles cases, predominantly in New York City and Rockland County – accounting for the vast majority of the 1,022 confirmed measles cases nationwide (through June 6). While the United States officially eliminated measles in 2000, the recent outbreak has put that status in jeopardy and reignited a bitter fight over the efficacy of modern medicine between anti-vaxxers and public health experts.
While there is ardent opposition to vaccination efforts among a small group of anti-vaxxers, the legislation has 84% support among all New Yorkers according to a recent Siena College poll. Joining the vast majority of New Yorkers in their support are numerous medical and health policy organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, New York State Academy of Family Physicians, Medical Society for the State of New York, March of Dimes, Kids v. Cancer, and many more.
Governor Cuomo has publicly stated that he will sign the bill if it passes both legislative chambers and is expected to do so quickly.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “I am incredibly proud that science has won with the passage of this bill. We should be taking medical advice from medical professionals, not strangers on the internet spreading pseudo-science misinformation. This will not be the end of our efforts to combat the ongoing measles outbreak, but it is an important step.
The vitriolic language coming from those in the gallery who opposed the bill highlights the depths to which the rhetoric around this conversation has fallen. Those of us who have been advocating for increased vaccination have frequently been on the receiving end of their vitriol for many months, but now it has been laid bare in their breach of decorum. I hope that we can move forward from here, with level heads, and work together to protect the health of New Yorkers – particularly those with compromised immune systems and those who are too young to be vaccinated. Thank you to Speaker Carl Heastie for his leadership in helping steward this legislation through the Assembly, to Senator Hoylman for leading the charge in the State Senate, and to all the advocates who fought for this important public health policy change.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman said: “Today, the legislature is sending a strong message to New Yorkers that vaccines are safe and effective. We’re putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and standing up for the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can’t be vaccinated through no fault of their own. With our actions today, we can help avoid future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles. I’m exceedingly grateful to the leadership of Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, my Assembly co-sponsor Jeffrey Dinowitz, and my Senate colleagues for their support of our legislation ending non-medical exemptions for vaccinations in New York.”
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