The Arizona State Senate has reassured Arizonans that public school students will not be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine despite recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This is just another example of how out of touch the federal government and its agencies are with everyday families,” said Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott). “With Republicans currently in control of our state government, we can promise that we will never subject Arizonans to the requirement of an experimental vaccine that has raised questions over long-term health implications.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: States Determine School Immunization Requirements, Not CDC ⬇️@FannKfann @RickGray @SonnyBorrelli @AZDavidGowan @VinceLeach pic.twitter.com/Yms0keBTSs
— AZSenateRepublicans (@AZSenateGOP) October 24, 2022
On Wednesday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and the recommended immunization schedule (RIS) for children. The VFC program provides free vaccines to children who may not be able to receive them otherwise, and the RIS is a guide doctors can use to determine when to give a patient an injection. Neither holds power to force a child to receive the vaccine.
However, even if they did, Arizonan children would still not be forced to take the vaccine to attend school because of state law. In the last legislative session, the State Senate passed House Bill (HB) 2086, which outlined that the vaccines for human papillomavirus and COVID-19 cannot be required for a child to attend a public school. Governor Doug Ducey later signed the bill into law.
“Injecting something into our bodies is a very personal choice and is one that families should have complete control over. Parents with children in schools should not be forced to subject their kids to an experimental vaccine as a condition of in-class instruction,” Fann said. “Senate Republicans believe parents ultimately have the right to make medical decisions for their child, and we will not take away that freedom.”
Moreover, as The Arizona Sun Times previously reported, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich did not respond well to the ACIP’s decision. He and 11 other attorneys general from across the nation sent the ACIP a letter requesting it undo this decision. They argued that not only is adding the COVID-19 vaccine to VFC and RIS unnecessary, but it may also cause families to be pressured into giving their child the vaccine when they had no intention to do so otherwise.
The Sun Times reached out to the attorney general’s office for an update on this letter but did not receive a response.
Furthermore, Arizona Democrat gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs was uncertain when asked if she would consider adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the Arizona Department of Health Services’ list of vaccines required to attend school.
“That is not something I have contemplated,” Hobbs said in response.
Katie Hobbs won't say if she supports forcing Arizona kids to be vaccinated for Covid in order to attend school.
Her response was "uhhh…" pic.twitter.com/D5w4rSuu1Y
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 25, 2022
Yet Hobbs’ Republican opponent, Kari Lake, has taken a staunch no-vaccine mandate position in her campaign. She argues that because the vaccine is so widely available, there is no need for a mandate. In this situation, people can make their own medical decision, thus she will not be the one making it for them.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Young Boy Receiving a Vaccine” by SELF Magazine. CC BY 2.0.
