In response to a measles outbreak that has spread from Clark County to King County and Oregon, legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit children from being exempted from vaccinations for the disease out of personal or philosophical reasons.

While all 50 states require students to be vaccinated, 18 states, including Washington, allow exemptions for families who object to vaccinations for philosophical, moral or other reasons. Some families use the provision to opt out of vaccines out of concern that they cause autism, a claim that has been repeatedly debunked.

House Bill 1638 would no longer allow families to use a philosophical or personal objection to exempt their children from the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. State Rep. Monica Stonier, a Vancouver Democrat who is among the bill’s sponsors, said the impetus for the legislation was the Clark County outbreak, which has seen 38 confirmed cases so far. Stonier said she understood that people may view vaccinations as a matter of personal choice, but she added, “I think every child has a right to participate in our community as a healthy, thriving child.”

“Personal rights are important as long as they don’t impose on the rights of others,” she said.

The outbreak of the highly contagious disease was made possible by the high rate of unvaccinated children in Clark County. According to 2017-2018 data from the state Department of Health, nearly 6 percent of children enrolled in public and private schools in Clark County had claimed a personal exemption for some vaccine and 5 percent had been exempted from the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.