In June, New York State repealed a law that allowed religious exemptions for child vaccinations. The repeal sparked controversy and began the debate as to who should be in charge of child vaccinations: the state or the parents?

New York State Assemblyman David DiPietro visited Warsaw on Thursday, Nov. 14 to discuss with the community upcoming bills mandating vaccines like the human papillomavirus and the flu.

“This is about the parental choice aspect that has been taken away from us, [this is] downright illegal,” DiPietro said.

His discussion was not about whether a child is vaccinated. Rather, he reiterated the fact that parents will no longer have a choice of whether their son or daughter is.

One of the possible new state laws set to take effect in January would require kids born on or after Jan. 1, 2009 who are entering public schools or daycares to receive the HPV vaccine.

Due to the possibility of the passing of this bill, it was said that many parents have turned to homeschooling — East Aurora has reportedly seen a 56 percent rise in homeschooling this year. However, DiPietro said, Albany is working with state education to “outlaw homeschooling.”

“Even if it is unconstitutional, legislatures don’t care [about the legality of this],” the assemblyman said. “Corruption drips off the walls in Albany.”

He estimated that if the vaccine bill – among many others – passes, New York could see half a million residents move out of state in 2021.

As part of the legislation, DiPietro said that children could receive the mandated vaccinations without their parents’ knowledge or consent during the school day. He said that is has become a reality that a child could be kicked out of school without proper vaccinations.

This was the case for one local mother. She reported that her 15-year-old daughter was asked to leave school Sept. 20 after being informed two days prior that she was not up to date on vaccinations.

The mother said that although she chose not to continue the MMR vaccinations since her child experienced health-related issues with the vaccine, the school would not allow her daughter to return to campus. She could not be on the property during school hours or events either.

DiPietro’s Nov. 14 visit was organized by Rachel Francis, a mother of two. Francis said she has been fighting for the rights of parents and educating the community regarding the risks of upcoming bills. They are also aiming for the vaccination legislation to stop reaching the floor in Albany.

For more information on the bill and other pieces of legislation, see nysenate.gov/search/legislation or nyassembly.gov/men/search.