On August 20, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians joined over 100 other organizations in signing a letter to Ohio House Health Committee members opposing House Bill 248 (HB 248), legislation that puts ALL Ohioans, including children, at risk. The organizations that co-signed the letter represent nearly 2 million Ohioans and include physicians, nurses, health commissioners, hospitals, and business owners.
The letter states, “At its core, this proposal would destroy our current public health framework that prevents outbreaks of potentially lethal diseases, threaten the stability of our economy as it recovers from a devastating pandemic, and jeopardize the way we live, learn, work, and celebrate life.
The letter continues, “The legislature has heard that this bill’s purpose is to prevent the COVID-19 vaccine from becoming mandatory, but HB 248-11 applies to ALL immunizations, including childhood vaccines. If passed, this legislation has the potential to reverse decades of immunity from life-threatening, but vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, hepatitis, meningitis, and polio. In fact, the words “COVID-19” or “coronavirus” are not found anywhere in the bill.”
“This legislation would also take away the rights of individuals who have businesses in Ohio to implement important safety measures meant to protect their employees, clients, and others. Many businesses have seen enormous fallout as a result of the pandemic and are working to rebuild and move forward. Business owners should each retain the right to carefully evaluate the unique circumstances they face, and make their own determinations about what is best for keeping the workplace healthy and their overall recovery.”
The letter concludes, “As current Ohio law allows for school immunization exemptions to decline vaccinations for medical, religious, or reasons of conscience (known as the philosophical exemption), and businesses requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment include appropriate exemptions, we question the need for HB 248-11. This overly broad proposal would further strip away accountability and compassion for our fellow Ohioans, and cause severe disruption to our state’s health, economy, and way of life. It is our urgent plea that HB 248-11 be rejected.”
The Ohio House Health Committee resumed hearings on the legislation on August 24. The committee heard nearly four hours of testimony. No amendments or votes on the bill were taken.
Please contact your legislators asking them to oppose HB 248.