House Bill 3016 is a bill authored by Representative Randy Grau and Senator Nathan Dahm. This bill is called the Parental Rights Immunization Act. It would require health care providers to get informed consent from parents or guardians before administering a vaccine. Representative Doug Cox attempted to amend the bill to say that vaccine information sheets provided by the CDC would fit the criteria of informed consent. The bill was assigned to the Public Health committee where the bill passed without the Cox amendment.
The bill went on to the house floor where it passed 89-6. Nay votes were: Dunnington, Joyner, McDaniel J., Morrissette, Virgin, and Williams
HB3016 went on to the senate side where it was heard in the Health and Human Services Committee. The bill passed 7-1. The only nay vote was Senator Yen.
On the senate floor HB3016 again passed overwhelmingly, 39-6. Nay votes were Bass, Matthews, Shaw, Halligan, Paddack, and Yen.
Unexpectedly, the bill was vetoed by Governor Fallin. In the explanation of her veto of HB3016, Fallin made several errors. Fallin said health care providers would need to give 34 pages of a CDC document related to vaccines to parents before giving a vaccine to their child. In reality, the bill only calls for making available 4 pages of the 34 mentioned by Fallin, which can be done by viewing a computer screen or posting a single copy on the wall of their facility. She also said she believed the bill would confuse and intimidate parents, leading to lower vaccination rates. The Directors of Oklahomans for Vaccine and Health Choice, including many medical professionals, disagree. Governor Fallin’s concern is unfounded. In fact, literature supplied by the American Academy of Pediatrics is clear that trust established between pediatrician and parents is the single biggest driver of vaccination rates. Scaring, shaming, blaming and firing have been proven to negatively affect rates.
HB3016 opens up meaningful conversation about vaccines, allowing parents and doctors to discuss their concerns and establish trust. We believe parents will be enlightened and thankful their health care provider is informing them that their right to sue vaccine manufactures is limited and ingredients such as MRC-5 human diploid cells are used to manufacture some vaccines. We believe greater public awareness will result in greater accountability and eventually result in safer vaccines, so much so that manufacturers do not need to be shielded from due process in federal and state courts.
We are working on overriding the veto. To learn how you can help please visit Operation Override here
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