By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
Calling it a matter of public safety, Gov. Doug Ducey wants all youngsters in Arizona public schools to be vaccinated against various childhood diseases.
But the governor isn’t ready to mandate it – or take away the right of parents to opt out for personal reasons – at least not yet.
In an interview Wednesday with Capitol Media Services, Ducey said there has been a “slight uptick” in the number of kindergartners and sixth graders who do not have the required inoculations. And in virtually all of those cases, the reason is personal: The parents simply don’t want their children vaccinated.
That is their right under current Arizona law. All it takes is parents signing a form.
But it also puts Arizona in the minority of states that allow opt-outs for personal reasons.
Ducey said as far as he’s concerned, all children should be vaccinated against diseases ranging from mumps and rubella to chickenpox and measles. And he brushed aside claims by some that the vaccines have side effects, including a claimed link to autism.
“I’ve heard those rumors and those rumors concern me,” he said. “But I think that the medical evidence and the subject matter experts would say that those rumors are unfounded.”
That, however, still leaves the question of Arizona’s 5.4 percent noncompliance rate for personal reasons. And that’s on top of the 0.7 percent of children who have medical reasons they cannot get the shots.
Ducey said his first choice would be more public education.
And if that doesn’t work, should the personal opt-out be repealed?
