Testimony in support of LD 51 – An Act to Restore Religious and Philosophical Exemptions to Immunization Requirements – Rep. Gary Drinkwater of Milford

LD 51 will be heard in the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Maine Legislature on April 3rd at 10am.  It would restore the religious and philosophical exemptions for students, and certain healthcare facilities. It would not repeal current immunization requirements or mandates; it would however reinstate the original religious and philosophical opt outs that existed for decades prior to 2019.  The following testimony has been submitted: Senator Rafferty, Representative Brennan, and distinguished members of the Joint Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, Ginger Taylor, MS, Maine Informed Consent, former director of the Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice, 2009 […]

Statement on Reported Mumps Case in York County

The Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice reminds the public that Merck, maker of the country’s only Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, is currently in federal court being sued by its own scientists who claim that the company submitted fraudulent efficacy data to the FDA in 2000 to gain re-approval for the MMR II, and that the vaccine may be largely ineffective against the circulating mumps virus. Our organization has notified the Maine CDC in person and in writing over the last four years of this potential fraud, and that those born since at least 2000 may be highly vulnerable to […]

The Religious And Philosophical Vaccine Exemptions Exist For Very Good Reason

Dear Maine Legislator, The religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions exist for very good reason. There is a vaccine conversation that is upsetting for many, that the Maine Legislature must enter into this week. It is a discussion that the sponsors of LD 798 are unlikely to even know of, and is easily dismissed as internet rumor. However, the topic is central to your deliberations on the removal of the religious and philosophical exemptions proposed by LD 798. Mainers will begin to testify on Wednesday, so it is incumbent upon the Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice to to prepare you with […]

There is No Measles In Maine

The Number Of Mainers That Have Contracted Measles In The 21st Century:  0 The last time a Mainer had measles was in 1997. – Johanna Mackenzie, MPH Epidemiologist, Division of Disease Surveillance, Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention In 2015, a visitor from Europe came to Kittery for a day of shopping. He had the measles. No one caught it. In 2017, a woman from Canada came down for a visit, and was diagnosed with measles in Maine the next day. No one caught it. Our current vaccine policy prevents measles in Maine. The exemption removal bill, LD 798 is […]

Maine’s Vaccine Exemption Removal Bill, LD 798, Is The Most Draconian Bill Filed In The Us Yet.

LD 798, An Act To Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements The Bill simply removes all religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions, for anyone, from anywhere in the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Health and Human Services law. “SUMMARY Current law allows exemptions from immunization requirements based on religious or philosophical beliefs for students in elementary and secondary schools and schools and health care facilities. This bill removes those exemptions. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to […]

Maine May Throw Thousands of Children Out of School Without Ever Meeting With Them

Days waited for the Maine Immunization Program to meet with us Subject: Our request for a meeting is 1,348 days outstanding Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2019 18:42:32 -0500 From: Ginger Taylor <ginger@mainevaxchoice.org> To: Philbrick, Tonya <Tonya.Philbrick@maine.gov> CC: Wolanski, Lori <Lori.Wolanski@maine.gov>, Bruce Bates <Bruce.Bates@maine.gov> Ms. Philbrick, In 2015, after repeated requests, both you and Kenneth Albert, speaking on behalf of the Maine Immunization Program, refused to meet with the leadership of the Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice, or answer questions we had for the MIP in writing.  Mr. Albert communicated to us that we were not a priority for the program.  […]

The Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice Notifies Maine CDC of the ICAN HHS Vaccine Safety Responsibilities and Notice Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-31

Subject: Notice on HHS Vaccine Safety Responsibilities and Notice Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-31 Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2019 11:58:23 -0500 From: Ginger Taylor <ginger@mainevaxchoice.org> To: Bruce Bates <Bruce.Bates@maine.gov> CC: Catherine Layton <cat@icandecide.com>, Del Bigtree <Del@icandecide.org> Dear Dr. Bates, This is to notify the State of Maine of the HHS Vaccine Safety Responsibilities and Notice Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-31 filed by the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) on behalf of the Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice, and other organizations. In October of 2017, ICAN filed a 37 page notice with the US Department of Health and Human […]

The Maine Vaccine Consumer Protection Program Introduced in the 2019 Maine Legislative Session

As in 2015, The Maine Vaccine Consumer Protection Program bill has been submitted to the Maine State Legislature. Some legislators have not yet come to understand that the conflict over vaccine uptake is not lack of parental understanding on vaccine safety and efficacy, it is the lack of physician and public health understanding on vaccine safety and efficacy, and the fact that the vaccine injury epidemic is not being addressed.  Rep. Ralph Tucker has announced that he will be bringing a bill to repeal the philosophical and religious exemptions for school entry, and throw children out of school, rather than addressing […]

Rep. Ralph Tucker Introduces Bill to Violate Mainers Right to Informed Consent in Vaccination, and Deprive Some Maine Children of their Right to an Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –  The Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice November 19, 2018,  Mail@MaineVaxChoice.org, 207-200-8469 Rep. Ralph Tucker Introduces Bill to Violate Mainers Right to Informed Consent in Vaccination, and Deprive Some Maine Children of their Right to an Education Brunswick, Maine – Representative Ralph Tucker (D-Brunswick) has announced the submission of his bill to the Maine Legislature to restrict and remove the rights of parents to exercise their religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions for school entry in Maine. The bill will bar some children from Maine schools, denying their right to a public education. He expects significant support from the […]

Letter to HHS Secretary Azar on Contradictory Vaccine Safety Positions Held by HHS, CC Maine Governors

November 11, 2018 Dear Secretary Azar, I am the mother of a vaccine injured child, and I am looking for an explanation as to how four of your departments within HHS can hold four different positions on the question: “Do Vaccines Cause Autism?” At present, as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, you currently hold four incompatible positions on the relationship between vaccines and autism in the four different departments that you manage and that contribute information to the public on vaccine safety. In answering the question, “Are vaccines linked to autism?” Your responses are: The Health Resources […]