Removes religious exemptions for school vaccinations and physicals for K-12 and college students.
Restricts medical exemptions to only apply to severely limited ACIP defined contraindications.
Grants minor children ages 14+ to consent to vaccines without the power to decline or parental consent.
Forces vaccine administrators to report to the state vaccine tracking system, ICARE..
Eliminates protective language ensuring that a child shall not be considered neglected or abused for the sole reason that parents/guardians didn’t vaccinate for religious reasons.
Eliminates the Mercury-Free Vaccine Act
Effective July 1, 2022
Sponsored by Senator Heather Steans (D), 7th District
Springfield Office – 217-782-8492
District Office – 773-769-1717 ; 5533 North Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
Email: steans@senatedem.illinois.gov
Call to Action: Contact Bill sponsor (info above) and your own district Senator.
Find you IL Senator
CONTACT BILL SPONSOR, Senator Heather Steans, and politely say:
“Please WITHDRAW SB3668 – this bill is unnecessary and discriminatory. Vaccine exemptions are not the problem, schools failing to collect and submit vaccine record paperwork is the problem. In Cook County alone, more than 66% of the non-compliant students in Illinois attend school. Non-compliant does not mean not vaccinated. Please focus on the serious record keeping issue and don’t remove religious and parental rights based on misrepresented immunization levels.”
2) CALL AND EMAIL YOUR STATE SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE and politely say:
“Please vote NO on SB3668 – and request that Senator Steans focus on the serious non-compliance issue in and around her district. Non-compliant does not mean not vaccinated. This bill is unnecessary and discriminatory. Ask her to help the schools in her own district collect and submit vaccine records, and leave our exemptions and parental rights alone. 66% of non-compliant students in Illinois attend school in Cook County.”
Also tell them why maintaining vaccine exemptions is important to your family.
TALKING POINTS:
REMOVAL OF RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS:
SB3668 IS UNNECESSARY
Exemption rates are extremely low – less than 1.5% COMBINED – for ALL school required vaccines. Source – ISBE
Areas with lower % of immunization are due to non-compliant students, NOT due to exemptions. Source – ISBE
SB3668 VIOLATES CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS
Article I, Section 3 of the Illinois State Constitution states that “The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be guaranteed, and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege or capacity, on account of his religious opinions…”
This bill is in conflict with the personally held sincere religious beliefs of some as well as the sincerely held religious beliefs of some who are also practicing Christians, Muslims, Jews, Christian Scientists, and many others.
RESTRICTION OF MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS
The ACIP defined contraindications are extremely limited and do not include numerous serious contraindications or accommodate for many medical disabilities.
Annual renewals would place a serious financial burden upon families.
This interferes with and violates doctor/parent/patient relationship.
This bill undermines and infringes upon the medical expertise and educated clinical judgement of providers.
This restriction is discriminatory against special needs students as well as the medically vulnerable.
LOWERING AGE OF CONSENT TO MINOR CHILDREN
SB 3668 legally makes minor children adults for the purpose of vaccination, over the objection of parents.
Illinois Legislation requires sufficient maturity levels for:
Gambling, Drinking, Tobacco, Cannabis – 21+
Military, Marriage, Voting, Tanning, Tattoo, Body Piercing – 18+
Sexual Consent, Purchasing explicit music/movies – 17+
Driving, Employment – 16+
Home Alone, (now medical decisions?) – 14+
REPEALS THE MERCURY FREE VACCINE ACT
MFVA limits the amount of Mercury that can be used in vaccines.
Has research recently changed?
Has Mercury become less harmful, such that we no longer need this protection? Source – MSDS
Since enacted, Illinois has provided itself with an exemption to its responsibility to this act every single year.
What is needed is the ENFORCEMENT of this existing statute, not the REPEALING of it.