Justice vetoes school vaccine exemption bill

Heeding the advice of a number of medical professionals and organizations, Gov. Jim Justice on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have allowed the state’s private and parochial schools to develop their own vaccine requirements. 

Justice vetoed House Bill 5105, which also would have allowed students attending virtual schools an exemption from school mandated vaccinations. 

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Justice said since the bill passed he has heard consistent opposition to it from the state’s medical community. 

“The overwhelming majority that have voiced their opinion believe that this legislation will do irreparable harm by crippling childhood immunity to diseases such as mumps and measles,” Justice said. “West Virginia historically has seen very few instances of these diseases, specifically because the vaccination requirements in this State are so strong. Importantly, the vaccines at issue have been required in this State for decades and have kept our communities safe. Our surrounding states, however, have seen spikes in such illnesses recently. These spikes, we are advised, are the result of the lesser vaccine requirements in those states.”

All states have requirements that students be vaccinated against a number of infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps and polio. West Virginia is one of five states that do not allow religious or philosophical exemptions for vaccine requirements. The state only allows medical exemptions. 

Justice’s veto followed the urging of several organizations, including the West Virginia Education Association, the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the West Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The West Virginia Immunization Network and more than two dozen other organizations also called on the governor to veto the bill in an open letter published in the Charleston Gazette-Mail recently. 

Justice told reporters previously he had been “bombarded with calls” from doctors and others about the bill. 

The Senate passed the bill with a 20-12  vote on the last night of the regular session, over the objections of Health Committee Chairman Mike Maroney, R-Marshall. Maroney called the bill “a step backwards” for the state. 

“There’s no question, no question there will be negative effects to families, to children and immunocompromised adults,” Maroney said at the time. “Not to mention the cost.”