2023-07-26 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on Public Health

2023-07-26 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on Public Health (Part 2 of 4)

SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
DANA DEMETRIO - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you. Good morning. Thank you committee members for allowing me to speak32 today. My name is Dana Demetrio. I'm from Chelsea, and I am testifying as a mother on behalf of my family. The bills that you're considering today in regards to childhood vaccinations and exemptions would impact my family have passed, so these are very important topics and issues for me personal So I'm here to ask you to please reject the following bills. House, 2151 senate 1458 House, 471, House 604, and senate 1391. I am opposed to these bills. The most important aspect to me is preserving religious exemptions to vaccinations.

I have 1 daughter, and I'm planning to send her to preschool this fall. We are using a religious exemption for her. And if the exemptions go away, then my daughter will not have the educational opportunities in Massachusetts that she and all children deserve. Our family's plans will have to change for her entire school career. It would have some very I would have some very difficult decisions to make, and it would impact both her future and my whole family's life. I want my daughter to live in a state where religious freedom is protected. where families like mine are welcomed and not forced to leave or to be segregated. Just in order to can be able to continue our religious and spiritual life. Thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


RAYMOND SHEA - CONCERNED CITIZEN - SB 1391 - HB 604 - SB 1458 - HB 2151 - CONCERNED CITIZEN - Thank you. Thank you. Your honorable committee member Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Raymond Shea, and I live in Westfield, Massachusetts. I'm here to speak against Bill is 1391, H.604. Which seeks to remove religious exemption to vaccination, and I strongly oppose bills S.1458, H.2151, which always allows physicians to force vaccination minors without parental consent or knowledge. 23 years ago, I moved to Massachusetts in search for freedom. I came from communist country. Freedom to me is ability to say no. based on individual conscience or religious conviction.

I believe everyone should have the right to choose what goes into their body. And religious exemption provides that freedom. And most importantly, a lot of people to say no is the last defense239 against a government corruption. It's the last defense to hold our government accountable. I had first hand experience dealing with living in a big government environment. A civilized free world should not rule by majority. It should rule by individual moral conscience. Let me repeat that. A civilized free world should not be ruled by majority. issue rule by individual conscience, and the religious exemption provide that. and it doesn't have to be a mainstream religious exemption. Let's do not make Massachusetts a communist state. Thank you for listening.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


SAMANTHA JOLLIFFE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - SB 14581 - Good morning. In regards to S.1458, I'll keep it simple. Not only does this completely violate parental rights, but it also violates federal law, which I'm sure you know surpasses state law. The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act granted pharmaceutical Companies immunity from their, quote, unavoidably unsafe products with certain stipulations. The law specifically states all vaccine providers public or private are required by the National Vaccine Childhood361 Injury Act to give the appropriate VIS vaccine information statement to the parent or legal representative prior to every dose of specific vaccines. In regards to 604, whether a child is going to school with a medical exemption, or going to school with a religious exemption, the same amount of perceived risk is involved.

Yet you are going to favor the medical exemption and not permit the386 religious one. You cannot insist that the first amendment needs to be abolished for the families that preserve the right to stand by their convictions when some kids will be able to go to school without a vaccine. The bill is not only discriminatory, but it also completely violates the 1st amendment rights in regards to religious freedom. Rights need to be equal for everyone even if they have a different view from you. Recently, a Mississippi federal court found that412 there is a religious right under the United414 States Constitution for a vaccine exemption. After the past several418 years of mandates that left a trail of destruction with just about no benefit, I think it's time the government allowed the people the ability to make choices for themselves their families and their community. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


COURTNEY NEILL - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1319 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Thank you for465 letting me speak today to express my opposition to Bill's H.471, H.604, S.1319 and H.2151 S.1458. My name is Doctor Courtney Neil, and I'm a practor who lives in Hamilton and owns a practice in Beverly. I'm here today to defend my rights as a parent choosing medical procedures for my children and their rights to attend school. Following an MMR vaccination in 1992, I began having seizures and was soon diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. There are many studies linking epilepsy to vaccines and the aluminum adjuvant ingredients in them. While the information is still under research and unclear, This will be no to be true.

One, that seizures are listed as a possible adverse reaction on some vaccine inserts, and two, there's a mounting evidence in peer reviewed journals supporting515 that vaccines can and do trigger517 seizures in the developmental epilepsy, particularly in those with predispositions. If a whole subset of the population unknowingly can have seizures triggered by vaccines, then restricting religious exemptions to attend school is dangerous and discriminatory to children with genetic grounds532 like mine. God entrusted me to keep my children safe and use my best judgment when looking after them. I strongly believe that with our under underlying genetic vulnerabilities, vaccines would not be safe for them, and this informed an educated choice made with my religious principles in mind are protected by our constitution.

As a physician,551 I'm also concerned that under Bill's H.2158 and S.1458, minors could be557 vaccinated without parental knowledge or consent. The vaccine informational inserts are written at a 10th grade reading level. Most children would not be able to complement and give proper informed consent. When I'm treating minors in my office, not only would it be dangerous and unethical to provide a treatment without consent of the parent and knowledge of their medical background, but it also would violate the Hippocratic oath that we have we as healthcare professionals all swear by. Those H.604, H.471, and S.1391 are discriminatory bills interfering with the right to education.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
CAITLIN GILMET - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you members of the joint committee on public health. My name is Caitlin Gilmet. and I'm a mom who once took vaccines and the safety of my child for granted. Today, I'm a proud vaccine advocate. Here's why. When my son Thomas was five months old, he developed a painful rash and cough 2 weeks after starting day care. My heart sank There was an outbreak of chicken pox at his new school. Thomas was very sick. He was too little to know how to scratch his blisters, so he twisted and cried all night. He spiked a fever and wouldn't eat, and he developed pneumonitis in his lungs.

I carried him through urgent care on a Saturday, worried that he'd infect someone with a weaker immune system. 22 families from our daycare were stuck without childcare for nearly a month, For parents of infants who'd used up their parental leave like we had, that's a financial nightmare. Our infant teacher, miss Tammy, went without wages, and our daycare lost nearly $22,000 in revenue. This disaster could have been prevented, but it was too easy for too many families to opt out of immunizing their children. That's why I helped start main families for vaccines, the volunteer organization that led the work to eliminate the religious exemption in my home state.

Though our opposition was louder, a738 73% majority of voters supported closing loopholes in our vaccine laws. We know that the vast majority of families support strong public health laws, and we know that these public health measures matter after Maine's law passed, exemptions dropped from 6.2 in 2018 to just 0.8% in 2022. I want to remind you about the majority of parents like me who count on our community to do the right thing for kids just like Thomas, survivors of disease and others who deserve protection from harm. I hope you vote in favor of House bill 603 and senate bill 1391, and that you know how much we appreciate your time and consideration of these lifesaving bells.

MADELEINE ALBRIGH - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - I'm here to testify in support of H. 604 and S.1391. In researching the history of vaccines for school attendance, I discovered that Massachusetts was a leader in790 protecting children from deadly disease. Doctor Benjamin Waterhouse began vaccinating people against smallpox796 in 1809, starting with himself and his own children. He prevailed on the legislature to pass the law in 1810 giving local health boards the authority to require smallpox vaccination. By 1827, all Boston children were required to show proof of smallpox vaccination to attend school, and the legislature enacted a statewide requirement in the 1850s, other states soon followed suit.

Unfortunately, in 2023, we are no longer in the vanguard. Our neighbors in New York, Connecticut, and Maine have already passed similar legislation which has resulted in increased vaccination rates in K-12 schools. The pandemic caused major disruptions in the delivery of healthcare, and worldwide, more children have missed important vaccinations and boosters for highly contagious and extremely serious diseases. Children with limited access to healthcare. or who do not have a medical home are the most vulnerable. I ask you to pass these bills, Massachusetts needs to take this important step in prevention to protect us all. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
MARION COULTER - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you for letting me speak. My name is Marion Coulter. I'm here to oppose H.604 and S.1391. Which among other things would remove the955 religious exemptions to vaccinations required to attend Masters959 of public schools. Is this a personal statement? People often say to me, how can your religion have an opinion about vaccines that religion is about something sort of off on the side about God and the afterlife and vaccines are something completely different, and that you're basically saying it's against your religion to get out of it, and it's not a religious question.

And I heard something like that being said by the Andrew Vargas about the fact that it's not really violating religious freedom because people are just pretending it's religious questions. So that's what I want to talk about. When people confront me with that question, I look at them and told them disbelief. It's like, do I not have a conscience? Am I not responsible to a higher authority than a state or a government agency for every choice that I make and every decision I make about what I put in my body are and I responsible to God. religion is at the center of life, and it flows out from the center and affects all of our decisions.

It's not just floating off to one side. about ethereal things, and it's not like the nuts and bolts of life are in different hands, they're all in the hands of religion. vaccines are at the epicenter of really serious moral debates. They are 100% a religious question. My objections to vaccines are objections of conscience, which is to say they are religious objections. To touch on just 1 aspect of the controversy, the use of aborted fetal cell lines and vaccine research and development of vaccine products. I don't care how old the fetal tissue is or from how long ago. I don't care what kind of science it's used in. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JAMES CORMIER - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB604 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - Good morning, chairs, and members of the committee. I'm here today to support. H.582. I'm in our position of H.604 S.1458, and H..471. My name is Jim Cormier. Native1125 Massachusetts resident. I'm a practicing chiropractor for 30 years. I'm a husband to Meredith. She's a public school teacher. I'm a proud father to high school children. I'm here today, the advocate for my family and for other families who find themselves in the same predicament. in regard to the protection of the medical exemption bill. It may be true and that the religious exemptions have gone up.

However, it is a result of the lack of the ability to get a medical exemption. I know three people who have that problem. So that does explain that. In regard to the religious exemption, the existing law that has worked for 50 plus years has been codified Massachusetts boasts one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. I guess it1172 is the highest. And while we also are preserving the religious rights of our citizens. That should be a law that we should be proud of. Removing religious exemptions would be destructive for families, mine included. In regard to the community immunity bill.

It just needs to be simplified. I agree there may be some data collection problems but there's a host of problems with things like mature minor language, compelled speech, and lack of consent issues. In regard to the HPV bill, HPV is not transmitted within the school setting. It should not be mandated for school attendance. The shots are freely assessable. They shouldn't be holding our education hostage for it. Merck made over $8 billion last year in the sale of Gardasil, they're doing okay. Inconvenient truth. Unvaccinated kids are healthier than vaccinated kids.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ALLISON FITZGERALD - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Wonderful. Thank you so much. allowing me to speak. My name is Allison Fitzgerald, and I live in Methuen Massachusetts.1254 I'm a mother, a1256 woman of faith, and one of the owners of Methuen's oldest business. I am testifying today to oppose HB 604 and senate bill 1391. These bills would erase religious exemptions from law. This would negatively affect me personally as well as my family, friends, and likely, my 49 employees. Losing the right to a religious exemption would forcefully remove my children from school in day care.

Force me to leave my family business to homeschool and threatening the stability of those 49 jobs. The egregious act of removing people's rights and freedom to hold religious beliefs and the ability to live in our faith does not just negatively affect our children in some of the harshest ways by removing them from in person schooling, sports, camps, but the ripple effect will spread throughout our lives and our community. An1314 estate that boasts that our diversity is our greatest strength It is wrong to discriminate against those who believe differently. I'm sorry.1333 Did you not hear me saying any of that?
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
JULIE ELIAS - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Okay. So I am here to oppose all the bills except for 582. The reason is1401 I see this as corruption on the1403 deepest level. The freedom trail is right outside, guys. Our religious freedom, our country was founded here. Yet you guys are trying to violate our god given rights to protect our children. How dare you? This is our duty to protect them. In Mississippi, the Supreme Court just ruled that their 50 year ruling against the mandates are1425 unconstitutional. We only have a handful of states who do not have religious exemptions, yet you guys1431 want to join that team. There's a lot of litigation right now, and this is going to end up costing a lot in the court system.

Vaccine injury is real in common. so common that vaccine companies went to Congress and told them they're getting sued so bad, they need immunity because they're unavoidably unsafe. Then they passed the act of 1986. They were ordered to do follow-up studies every 2 years to show that they're working on making vaccines safer. They1461 did not. No studies were done. No safety studies at all. RFK junior sued to get copies of these studies, and they finally admitted that there are no studies. Instead, we got an x potential increase of mandatory vaccines. The CDC vaccine patents which which is also a huge conflict of interest.

It is my god given duty to protect my children. The constitution reinforces that right. You have no right to interfere in the way I practice my religion and to interfere with my relationship with God. Also, it's my body, my choice when women want to kill their child up until the due date, but we have no bodily autonomy over what gets injected into our bodies. The hypocrisy is insane. But none of this is relevant because argument here is over religious freedom, the founding principle of our country, the right to practice your religion the way you want. So people who introduce these bills are traders.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
VANESSA POMPE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you, chairs, and members of the committee. My name is Vanessa Pompe Britt, and I'm an attorney. I ask you to remain open minded today and consider the reasons why eliminating the religious exemption as S.1390 an H.604 proposed won't accomplish the goals of preventing future disease outbreaks and increasing vaccination rates but will impose an unnecessary punitive burden on a small minority of religious families in Massachusetts. Removing the exemption will only marginally at best increase overall vaccination rates because only a very small minority of families use it.

Roughly 1%, and these families are unlikely to forsake their sincere religious beliefs. If these children are removed from school, school vaccination rates may go up by roughly 1%.But these under vaccinated religious children won't disappear they will continue to go to all the places children go except school. And these bills will do nothing to address the 4% of under vaccinated children who do not use exemptions known as the gap. Common sense would direct public health officials to focus on this larger group of under vaccinated children than the much smaller group1633 who claim exemptions for religious reasons, frequently for only 1 or 21637 vaccines according to DPH. Significantly, the current law already allows the religious exemption to be suspended.

And the case of an emergency or an epidemic making this change in law entirely unnecessary. Especially when you consider the associated cost, not just cost of anticipated litigation as the Federal District Court recently ordered Mississippi to allow religious exemptions after years of allowing medical exemptions only but the heavy cost to a small minority of religious families if an act of these children will be barred from attending their public schools and private religious schools, and barred1672 from sports and activities and for some1674 special needs students, barred from critical therapies and support that are not easily reproduced at home. inflicting this kind of hormone children to increase reported vaccination rates by 1% or less is simply not justified. Thank you.

SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CARRIE MONTGOMER - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - SB 1458 -HB 582 - Hi. Thank you to the1774 chairs in the committee for your time today. My name is Carrie Montgomery, and I'm here to testify against Bill H.604 S.1391 and S.1458. I think sometimes the media or others paint opposition like me as anti science or uneducated, When in actuality, I'm a lifelong Democrat, I have a master's degree in education, and I'm an active education advocate in my city. I'm also a mom. My child had a scary vaccine injury, which were still getting medical help for 12 years later. The ER nurses said it was vaccine reaction, but I had to report it because they would lose their jobs if they did.

This was the first of countless confusing red I encountered as I tried to help my child harm by a pharmaceutical product. Before I realized just how polarizing it is. I wish I could vaccinate. I wish I could let all this stress go and just do what others tell me. Yeah. I saw her injury I held her as she seized, forcing my child to be vaccinated1832 is like forcing a child with peanut allergies to eat a Snickers. Risking, injuring her again, would be a deep violation of my faith. If these bills would go through, they would triple my family, many others are facing a mental health crisis due to my child's mental health disability,1848 she needs serious interventions. If she were to lose her right to go to her school, she would be destroyed. We'd1854 be forced to move from where I've lived and work my entire life, but we will because we have to live freely in an accordance with our religious beliefs.

Due to her disabilities, my child is scared to advocate for herself almost everywhere. She could never say no to an administrator. It would be medical assault for someone to vaccinate her without my knowledge or consent the way S.1458 wants. If she's harmed, the bill says no one's held responsible, but the children and the families pay the price. These bills hold children's education hostage and force by the state. This is not informed consent. Mass should be fighting to expand access to education, not restrict it. While opposing the other bills, please help preserve our rights by supporting H.582, which would also greatly help injure children like mine. Thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ELLEN DIETRICK - TEMPLE BETH SHALOM - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Good morning to the committee, and thank you for this important work on Ellen Dietrick. and I am from Temple Bash Shalom in Needham. I'm the early childhood director here, and I'm speaking in support of S.1458 H.2151. Hearing the statistics presented this morning that so many children in schools are not protected from polio and measles is quite shocking. MADPH doesn't have complete data sets on immunization and exemption rates in schools throughout the state, and that puts us all at risk. And as a childcare administrator, I work1958 every day.

It's my life's work to protect children, and the fact that parent and caregivers have no notice that their children have an increased risk from others in the class is very concerning. I also spoke in the last two hearings, and I agree with all of those who have spoken for removing religious exemptions. At the very least private organizations, like our House of Worship, should be allowed to follow their own religions. Those of us who run houses of worship in Massachusetts have tried many times to require immunizations and to not take these religious exemptions, and we've not been allowed to do so. At Temple Beth Shalom, we created a policy requiring vaccinations and not allowing religious exemptions.

And the Department of Early Education rejected our policy. Saying that we had to accept children without vaccinations as long as they had a religious reason, even though it's in conflict with our religion and our own house of worship. We're a Jewish institution guided by Jewish law and tradition, and that tells us that the community the health2030 of the community is paramount, our clergy supports vaccinations, and yet we are forced to2036 deny immunocompromised children and2038 education because of someone else's religion. So like the speakers before me, I ask you to make this change to allow us to freely practice our religion and keep all of our children. safe and healthy.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ALEX FLEX - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 2207 - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 582 - Thank you for listening to our testimonies today. I hope you hear the accounts of the people. Most importantly, the residents and community members whom these bills2062 would directly impact. My name is Alex Flex. I am a registered nurse and former school nurse having worked in several Massachusetts public schools and having cared for children with immunosuppression and for children with exemptions to vaccines. I2073 was born in Boston and completed my education in both public schools and private colleges here in the Commonwealth. I have lived in New York2079 in California, but Boston, you're my home. And eight years ago, I purchased a with my husband and figured we plant roots.

We have two young children and have established ourselves as positive contributors in Middlesex County. I have watched other states discuss vaccine bills and sadly, some surrounding states take away the rights of the people. I have friends that have uprooted their families and moved for religious freedom, for respect of their beliefs, and for support from their community. Growing up in the great state of Massachusetts, I never imagined such debates would occur around tolerance, inclusivity, and religion. June 7 2023 WBR article, why should people move to Massachusetts. Direct quotes from Massachusetts governor Mara Healy are that some states are going backwards, taking away equality, taking away freedoms, demonizing members of the LGBTQ plus community, and that we are a state that prizes equality, protects freedoms, protects civil rights, come to Massachusetts.

Where are our rights? Where are other rights of the faces in this room? Current residents that expect the religious and medical rights protected, unquestioned and supported. Our families are here, our jobs, our community. The minority group of people that utilize religious and medical2138 assumptions to vaccines in Massachusetts are facing targeted discrimination overreach and bullying from neighborhoods to the top of Beacon Hill. I urge legislators to validate and respect the private and personal rights its citizens and to end the continued efforts to remove, restrict, rephrase, or alter the current practices and protections of its people. In this testimony, I am formally documenting my opposition to bills. H.2151, S.1458, H.2207, H.471, H.604, and S.1391. I support and ask for a code sponsorship of proposed H.582 Soder. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


KATIE WATERMAN - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Hi. My name is Katie, and I'm from West Springfield. I oppose all of these bills. To be honest, I can't believe I'm here for a third time doing this. I could tell you my daughter has a rare disease that affects one in 500,000 kids. I could tell you that her disease can cause seizures encephalitis, even death. I could tell you that my husband has epilepsy and takes seven pills a day to control his grandma seizures. I can tell you that every vaccine on the children's schedule mentions spasms, epilepsies, seizures, convulsions, tonic colonic, which means Grand Mall. I2289 could tell you my daughter doesn't see a normal neurologist at Boston Children's.

She sees a brain lesion neurologist that recommends she gets an MRI of her brain and spine annually, which costs me $6000 out of pocket after insurance. I could tell you that she's been under anesthesia five times before the age of two. I could tell you that I followed your rules blindly, and I watched that she had an arm trimmer at four months and then a head ticket six months. I could tell you that even with all of her medical history, her father's medical history, and her own reactions, she still isn't eligible for a medical exemption. The thing though is I've told you all of this before from letters, calls, meetings, and testimonies. We, the people, have spoken two2326 times before. Why aren't you listening to2328 us? These bills are complete opposite of what America stands for.

I am the parent. I'm the one sitting, waiting for my child to wake up from anesthesia. I'm the one laying with her nervous when she twitches. I'm the one praying to god that this year will be uneventful. Not you, not any of you. My god would never want me to put her at risk again, especially after knowing what I2347 know now. My parental rights are not yours to take away. They are mine. All of the parents here are here to say no. It's no today. It's no tomorrow. and it's no next year, it's2357 always going to be no. Please keep the decisions of our children's health2361 in the hands of the parents that know them Love them and have a history for caring for them. I strongly urge you to oppose this government over each.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


BRIDGET KEARNS - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 471 - HB 582 - I'll keep my camera off just in case that was an issue. Okay. Good morning. My name is Bridget Kearns. I'm the mother of 2 adolescents who have attended school through a religious exemption from the moment they stepped into day care. I'm here just strongly opposed S.1458 and H.2151, as well as S. 1391, H.604 and H 471. These bills that remove our alter religious2412 exemption in Massachusetts will likely lead to costly legal battle all the station when they're a clear when it is clear the courts are finding in favor of the necessity of religious exemptions to mandates. Among numerous issues with the Community Immunity Act.

Allowing minor consent to vaccination is not only bad policy, it's dangerous, and would be in violation of federal law as upheld in the court in March of 2022 against Washington DC's attempt to enact minor consent. In January of 2022, when the Supreme Court upheld the CMS rule that mandated COVID vaccines, it did so with the stipulation that medical and religious exemptions must be offered. In January of 2023, a statement issued by the DOD rescinding the COVID mandate dated. Religious liberty is a foundational principle of enduring importance in America enshrined in the constitution and other sources of federal law. Service members have the right to observe the tenants of their religion I argue that this statement applies to all American citizens, including students.

And removal of religious exemption to vaccine mandates as out of line with every adult mandate that insisted that religious exemptions must be available. In April of 2023, a mississippi court overturned to decades old law that prohibited religious exemptions a clear violation of the first amendment in RIFRA, and there is a similar case pending in Connecticut. Finally, I support H.582 and act relative2487 to the protection of medical exemptions for immunization for school attendance. Following decades of denial, the risk of vaccine same injury, the COVID era has brought about new awareness to adverse events that can and do occur in vulnerable individuals following vaccination. medical providers are unable to or afraid2503 to write valid medical exemptions based on an individual's health circumstances and risks. of further harm. It makes only sense.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ASHLEY FEDLER - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 471 - SB 1458 - HB 2151 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Hi. I support H582 and oppose H.471.S.1458 H.2151, S.1391, S.604. Ident to the dentist office the other day because 1 of my children required a procedure for which they needed laughing gas. Part of the procedure, the dentist required me to sign a waiver seeing we didn't have a long list of health issues including something called the MTHFR. It's a gene in simple terms. This impacts your2557 body how it's able to remove toxins from your body. My two of my four children have a very rare mutation of this. It's incredibly uncommon.

Things that would be benign to most of us just don't flush from their system, even something as simple as food dye, and sugars are facial flavoring and definitely certain ingredients in the vaccinations. These toxins can build up and they can cause immediate harm or harm over time. somewhere along2584 the way, science has been able to identify this, what this gene is, and the implications of it as far as how it impacts the laughing gas. The dentist said if he were to give this, he could be sued and held liable for reactions because it is contraindicated with their condition. My pediatrician also believes that there are vaccinations, certain ones that are contraindicated with this condition and recommends fully vaccinating two of my four children.

But delaying or limiting shots for the other two she is not able to write a medical exemption at this time for them. She is the one who identified the injury and is cared for my children. Without additional protections, these doctors won't be able to write the exemptions for fear of persecution as has happened in states with similar laws. This issue is larger than vaccines are good or vaccines are bad. That's not what this is about. This is about a parent and a doctor making choices based on needs of an individual. at the dentist, I could sue them or the manufacturers. When I go to the pediatrician, I can't do that. This feels very unethical. Two of my four children have the worst form of this gene. and 1 is permanently disabled due to the shots he we all took in good faith. Alright.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CATHY LYNCH - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 582 - Hi. please suppose H.2151 and S.1458 because these bills allow any provider to vaccinate any child regardless of age without parental consent and allow private schools to deny religious exemptions. Please suppose H.471 because it adds medically risky, HEP and HBV vaccines to their required schedule for school attendance. Please oppose H. 604 S.1391 because they remove religious exemptions for school children and grades k through 12, and share what should be private data with the Massachusetts DPH. Please2727 support certain provisions in H.582 that protect physicians from negative professional consequences for writing medical exemptions and the provisions.

That protect the religious exemption. Overall, we need informed consent which includes the right for every2743 individual or parent or guardian of a minor up to 18 years old to opt out via medical religious or conscientious belief exemption of any medical procedure or experiment being fully informed means that truthful uncensored info about the benefits and risks of a medical procedure or experiment are disclosed. The federal government has paid out over $4 billion to victims of vaccine injury since Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

Proving the vaccines are indeed medically risky. In 2011, the United States Supreme Court gave vaccine manufacturers a complete product liability shield from injury claims. Releasing liability2787 was an egregious mistake. We need less government interference and regulation On the CDC's 2023 recommended childhood vaccine schedule, children get an alarming 72 doses of 17 vaccines before age 18. These vaccines are not making children healthier. I urge you to protect education, employment, health and other social systems with flexible medical, religious, and conscientious belief exemptions and policies.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


TIFFANY BAER - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 471 - Thank you, committee, and chairs. My name is Doctor. Tiffany Baer of Medford Mass. I am a mother, a Christian, a doctor, a concerned citizen, and a vaccine injured person. I oppose all the bills except H.582. One size fits all medicine protects no one. As a medical professional, I have personally witnessed all types of injuries and deficiencies stemming from the shots Being promoted in these bills. Many of my patients were forced by school or work to be vaccinated. For example, four year old healthy child first against a shot to get go into school against their religious beliefs.

Came into her next appointment, and unable to be touched and bang your head on the floor. A perfectly healthy man forced to get a shot against his wishes for a work convention. He died2893 at the hotel of a huge blood clot.2895 In his heart, leaving behind four kids and a wife. Yet another extremely healthy elite college swimmer forced to get a shot to go to school against his religion is now sidelined due to myocarditis. There are many, many others. These bills before you affect real people of all ages. They determine who will be discriminated against, who will be segregated and not be able to attend school, These bills will limit equity for children who can't get the shots due to their health or religious reasons.

These bills will not provide the security you all seek. vaccines and arms do not confer immunity. Production of antibodies with, after a vaccine, do not equal immunity. I'm very sorry, it doesn't. Removing religious exemptions, removing the discretion of a doctor patient relationship, denying education to children who have already suffered so much in the pandemic, Let's see. Forcing the 1% of the people to get medical interventions to soothe your fears of common, survivable illnesses is just unforgivable. I urge you to support H582 All the rest of the bills are discriminatory and damaging. And I pray to God above that you will vote against them. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


DANIEL SEITZ - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 582 - HB 582 - HB 471 - Good morning. My name is Daniel Seitz. I'm here to testify against all of the bills2990 with the exception of H. 582. In the last few years, a2994 new voting block has developed in the US numbering in the millions. including thousands, if not millions of people in Massachusetts. These are the people who no longer trust public health officials and the medical establishment as well as politicians and corporate media outlets who push their messages, and corporate captured federal agencies like the FDA and CDC, some3014 speculate that this group may have become the largest voting block in the country. Why has this this trust become so widespread? for the simple reasons that during the past three years.

The public health3024 and medical establishments routinely gaslit and lied to the public and3028 censored and vilified anyone who expressed viewpoints differing from the so called mainstream narrative. No matter how grounded in scientific research and how credible the people who dissented. What were the lies that the experimental COVID shots were safe and effective? We were told they would stop transmission. That was a lie. We were told that they were safe, but now we're seeing record numbers of strokes, heart attacks, and other serious illnesses and deaths in conjunction with the shots, including a significant increase in excess deaths and otherwise healthy children. Also, the lockdowns and shutdowns, masking and social distancing did not in any way improve outcomes.

This is well documented by comparisons Instead of respecting the rights of bodily autonomy and form consent, religious freedom and freedom of choice, the legislature later in public health community is once again resorting to force and coercion in medical matters. This is in support of that scenes that have never been tested against actual placebos that are referred to as unavoidably unsafe by the Supreme Court and for which drug companies with abysmal safety records that have been paid billions in fines have been granted blanket immunity for vaccine related harm. It is time to discard coercive, divisive tactics,3099 and leave final decisions for health3101 to individual citizens where they belong as protected under our constitution and recognized by such agreements as the Nuremberg code.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


MARY ELLEN - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Hi. I'm a resident of Sterling, Massachusetts. I'm opposed to the community immunity act bills. My daughter, Cecilia. This picture here. was born June 1 2012. He died last summer, August 23 2022 at the3165 age of 10. Cecilia was well until her 4 month vaccinations. She developed as all healthy babies do. On October 2nd, 2012, she received her 4 month vaccinations, Prevnar and Pentasil. The shops were given to keep her well and prevent suffering, but they did just the3184 opposite. The vaccinations given that day had a catastrophic effect on Cecilia's health. On that very same day, she received her vaccinations. She started to have infantile spasms. As the days turned to months and the months turned to years, the seizures never stopped despite the best medical care in the nation. My healthy girl became sick, and died.

The constant seizures wreaked havoc on her developing brain and body. Her childhood was made up of hospitalizations, daily medications, wheelchairs, therapies, and seizures. These events and their cause have been confirmed by the vaccine injury court and upheld by the DC Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. If I could go back in time, I would not have given Cecilia any vaccines that day. As I now have knowledge, a child's neurological system is not fully developed until the age three and vaccines contain neurotoxins that have not been subject to double blind inert placebo safety testing. as is required by other pharmaceuticals. Now I understand how some vaccines are derived. As her mother, I would insist on the right incontinence to refuse pentacle, which as it is manufactured from aborted fetal cell tissue and contains human DNA is morally objectionable and medically in about

NICHOLAS KOTTENSTETTE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Hi. Quickly, neither IPV nor DTEAP prevent infection. They're inactivated and do symptoms. In fact, DTAP parenthesis result of mass DTAP vaccination. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that a person may be required to refuse a medical intervention, including vaccination. If his or her informed conscience comes to the sure judgment, vaccination not morally arbitrary and principal and so must be voluntary. II am from Sterling, Massachusetts. I'm closed to bills, S.458, H.2151, H.471, H.604 and S.1391. Because they primarily target families of vaccine injured children. These laws will make a negligible impact to mask high vaccination rates.

However, they will severely limit or eliminate the affiliate families of vaccinated children to get an education. I'm a father of a son and four daughters, which my youngest is saved, developed infantile spasms from reformat pentacel and prevnar vaccinations on October 2 2012 s he died this August 23 2022, but the special mass in the court of Federal Circuit Appeals said she was injured from these injured to be compensated. even after these decisions on June 15 2021, the government stalled3333 establishing medical trust up until one3335 week before she died. The last 8 months of her life were spent in hospice. So it says autonomic nervous system slowly shut down to the point where her body can now absorb food or medicine. These laws only benefit big pharma and creating less safe liability free vaccines.

Sometimes vaccines harm children devastate their families. No amount of coercion, tracking, or bullying change our resolve to protect our children from further harm. While manufacturers such as Moderna and Pfizer make billions with their new liability free mRNA vaccines, not even HHS, is now responsible for the injury. Over 8400 Americans are slowly being denied any compensation for devastating injury suffered from COVID 19 vaccination of gamma rays, stroke, and other severe neurological injuries. HHS not supposed to do additional oversight while denying health claims the countermeasures entry compensation program, provide less than $10,000 to three victims of bi carbons.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


BRIAN KING - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 471 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you. Dear honorable committee members. My name is Brian King, and I'm a resident in Massachusetts. I am here to support Bill H582 and oppose all the remaining bills. I am testifying for myself, my children, and my family. Who am I? I am a father, a husband, a US citizen, a lifelong resident in Massachusetts,3436 a property owner, and a taxpayer. Who am I not? I'm not anti science quack. I am not a conspiracy theorist. I am not an uneducated ignorant anti vaxxer. These slanders disparage in terms are used to diminish the reputation of those in opposition to these bills to belittle their beliefs, their values, and detract from the real issue at hand. The rights and liberties are the residents of Massachusetts.

The founders of the United States believe the right to practice religion freely it was so important that they made it the first amendment to the United States Constitution, the3465 first right in the bill of rights. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its constitution also defines the right to practice religion freely as a protected right. It is also protecting the right of an education for all. I am opposing these bills because they threatened my family's right to an to practice religion freely. and my children's3480 right to an education. We are at a3482 time in our history as a nation where diversity, equity,3484 inclusion, and belonging are at the forefront of3486 a lot of issues. It's no different here. Although the intent of these bills may seem good, they3490 go against the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as they target a minority group of individuals.

That utilize religious exemptions due to firmly held religious beliefs and convictions. I am opposing these bills because they will have a discriminatory effect by infringing on the rights of individuals to related freely into gain education. I'm sure you have received and will receive numerous written testimonies opposing these bills with much more details, opposing the opposition. However, today, please hear and see the fraction of the people, the real people that will have that will be negatively impacted by these bills While the passage of these bills will have no noticeable impact on the lives of most, the lives of those in opposition to these bills will be drastically altered. Let that sink in as you read the written testimonies that you do receive. You we are not just names on a page or dots on a map. They I respectfully implore the committee members support Bill H.582 and reject the remaining bills. Thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CHRISTINA DUPREY - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 471 - Thank you. My name is Christina Duprey from shoes by mask speaking as a parent of three children, two of which have special needs? Thank you to Jacqueline's here, committee members. This is especially my rep representative, Kayne, for being on this committee. I'm pro choice on health care and medical care and many more issues. Personal health issue should be decided on a case by case basis. I adamantly opposed all of these bills today except support rep's orders bill. H582. All of these bills go too far and overreach on the rights and liberties of children who are minors for 17 years and 364 days till they turn 18.

As I parked over near the Revere Hotel, I really thought on my way over today for this testimony. What can I get across? So I share, sadly, these proposed bills would restrict and strip both medical relit and religious exemptions. The Mass DPH is allowed to oversee all of medical deductions approved denial and is taking away decisions from families and their doctors3636 is discriminatory. How can Mas DPH approve or deny without ever meeting a parent patient child. Not so fun fact, two years ago, my special ed son who attended a private school for his severe learning disabilities. was discriminated against at his private school.

Because they would not accept their religious exemption for intramural sports. Discrimination is already happening. these bills would allow private schools to make their own vaccine roles. Consent, did you know that according to the state of Massachusetts, when you turn 18, You cannot vote, serve on a jury duty, open a bank account without a cosigner. Lastly, parental consent is needed for recruit for receiving a tattoo in the state of Massachusetts. If under 18, there's actually child labor laws as well. If we, the parents, can't decide with our own medical profession, what is best for our minor child. Over 20 years ago, thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JACQUELINE FASHON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - HB 471 - Thank you for this opportunity. I'm going to be speaking in general terms on all the bills being presented today. While you may have the best intentions for the Commonwealth as a whole, our individual rights are just as important and just as valid. I'd like you to just imagine this. What if your child suffered a life threatening adverse reaction to a vaccine? How would you feel if you couldn't obtain a medical or religious exemption for a similar vaccine knowing that your child could suffer the same reaction or worse? Would you just roll the dice because you want your child to have access to education?

Now what if your child was vaccinated without your knowledge or consent, shortly after your child suddenly becomes lethargic, or they start having convulsions or dangerously high fever. There is plenty of documented evidence that these types of reactions happen to some children after vaccination. But as a parent, you would have absolutely no idea what's wrong with your child. Is it a virus? Should we just wait it out, call the doctor tomorrow? What if you made all the wrong decisions because the vaccination was never even disclosed to you. Please put yourself in the shoes of the parents that have children that are ex that experience these reactions. They are out there, and there are hundreds of thousands of them, and their stories are heartbreaking.

And if they refuse fur future vaccinations because they're afraid it will injure their child further, they're slandered, censored, and called anti vaxxer. Again, How would you feel if that was your child? Every child deserves an education whether or not their bodies can handle over 70 back scenes by the time they're 18. Please consider these real life scenarios before recommending these bills, please. And lastly, to the legislators who are opposing these bills, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for protecting our parental rights and health and safety of our children. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JEFFREY JACKSON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Thank you, chair, and thank you, members of that public health committee. I stand here or I sit here as a medical health journalist for nearly a decade telling the story of parents that you've heard here. This is a common story telling the story of parents who had vaccine injuries The children have vaccine injuries after mandated vaccines. We hear a lot about the immunocompromised child excuse me, a meal compromised child in these bills trying to protect them, but there's another side of the story. There's vaccine injury. It is real. and it's been paid out to a tune as you heard of over $4 billion by the vaccine injury compensation program.

This is a liability free product that market forces do not apply to it as it applies the rest of the products out there. Unfortunately, these parents have been discriminated against and essentially neutralized by the media trying to tell their story and also by public health agencies And as you've heard by by the medical3910 profession, when they try to get their children help they need, one of the3914 things that we're left to do is to use3916 legal actions and journalists that are outside the corporate media, if you will, that are influenced by Big Pharma as they take their money, and the legal the legal actions that have been pushed towards the public agencies like the CDC have found things like this.

CDC and NIH unable to provide a single study to support the safety of injecting aluminum adjuvants, which are widespread in childhood vaccines CDC concedes is never conductive vaccinated versus unvaccinated study. These are things that we need answers to, and these are inconvenient facts that should have been debated publicly in the public space. And, unfortunately, they haven't been. We've3955 just finished a COVID response where the CDC has admitted it did a lot of wrong things that her public trust. Unfortunately, I was expecting to see bills that would enshrine more public trust and these civil liberties in these bills, and I'm unfortunately not seeing that,and I'm opposing these bills. Thank you. Terry Botticelli is next followed by a panel by Anne McGuire and Angelina Lindsey. Terry Botticelli?
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ANNE MAGUIRE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Good morning. Cheers and join committee. My name is Anne Maguire, a Massachusetts resident I strongly encourage members to support H.582, a bill that preserves our religious exemption and protects doctors writing medical exemptions. I also encourage members to oppose bills S.1458 and H.2151. These system bills make sweeping changes to immunization laws, and they reversed the religious exemption language negating and undermining our Constitution's protection of religious freedom. Article two of our declaration of right states.

No subjects should be restrained in liberty for worshiping based upon the dictates of its own conscience. Current Massachusetts law aligns with this by protecting our sincere religious beliefs from an immunization orthodoxy. Law reads, no parent or guardian, no states in writing that vaccination or immunization conflicts with his or hers and see it religious beliefs. shall be required to provide proof of vaccine. A 1358-2151 reverses that wording. suddenly, the exempting participant or adult has a sincere religious belief inflicting with immunizations. To be clear, immunizations are for profit market technologies.

They are not human rights deserving of constitutional protection. sincere religious beliefs, so dictates of conscience, already hold, reestablished, constitutionally protected, highest sovereign ground. and syntax in any bill that reverses this order to elevate a technology at the expense of a human right. is revisionist and unconstitutional. The 1458-2151 should be opposed. Please tell parents, children, and doctors know that Massachusetts flight is flightless, protect their liberties and rights by supporting only constitutionally based and evidence justified vaccination bills. Thank you.

ANGELINA LINDSAY - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Thank you, Committee, for hearing my testimony today. I'm here in support of H582 and to oppose S.1458 and H.604. There've been a lot of negative said about those of us who oppose these types of bills, but we're not crazy anti-vaxxers, we're just parents with strong convictions informed by our moral conscience, grounded in our religious beliefs. We have walked through fire for our children and have been demonized, dehumanized, and misrepresented for it. So I ask you to listen to us with an open heart. I know that many on this committee have already made up their minds to support this legislation. for anyone who is on the fence, please consider that many noble lies have been told.

In order to create a climate in which it feels comfortable to deny children of their right to an education based on their family's religious beliefs. Privileged families will homeschool or leave the state But what if single parent households, those of low socioeconomic status, children with disabilities who rely on day4198 programs in special ed, I would not put my worst enemy and the position that they will be faced with if these bills pass. We're looking to encourage the state to strike specific families of religious persuasion, medically fragile children and the doctors who treat them. Consent is the backbone of medical ethics. We have laws and protections in place, not just to protect us when our government4222 has malintent, but especially4224 from when their intentions are good. Currently, we have experts, legislators, and government officials using fear to subvert the very values that our constitution holds sacrosanct. And so I ask you to please read our testimony with an open mind.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CLAUDIA CANDELLA - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - HB 471 - Good morning. My name is Claudia Candella. I'm from Wellesley, and I4280 have 2 children, a 5 year old son, and a 16 month old daughter. I'd first like to thank the committee for allowing me to speak today. I understand there might be an assumption that I'm an anti-vaxxer or anti science, but I assure you I am neither of those. While I strongly oppose all bills, proposing medical requirements in exchange for education, I'll be focusing my testimony in opposition to an promoting community immunity. While there are many points of concern in this bill.

The most obstructive is the removal of parental consent for the vaccination of minors. Senator Rauch has stated that this is simply misinformation. I take offense to that. Anyone who has read this4319 bill knows that it explicitly removes parental consent for the vaccination and medical treatment of minors. These seemingly minor changes in Section 6 and 7 are not only reckless, they're irresponsible.4331 On a4333 micro level, this bill completely disregards the medical risks. Most children aren't4337 privy to their allergies to medication, or concerning family history. On a greater scale, how do we, as parents, support any legislation that breaches the parent child relationship?

How does that strengthen our community? This bill will backfire. Parents do not concede when it comes to their children. Coercion does not lead to vaccine acceptance as Senator Rausch calls it. Families will leave the Commonwealth.4363 I will be 1 of them. I would love to live in the state. I went to be you. My husband and I grew up here. We've always dreamed of raising our family here. but I certainly will4375 not live in a state that doesn't support and respect family unit. We4379 all know that this bill threatens the fundamental4381 rights of parents. and in the end, that's all that matters. I respectfully ask that you protect our families as you would your own and reject this bill. Thank you for your time and consideration.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


COURTNEY ANDRADE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 582 - Okay. Hi. I'm Courtney Andrade, and I oppose all 5 bills except for H582. Vaccine manufacturers have a long history of fraud, corruption menu manipulation, and bribery. No vaccine was ever tested against a saline placebo which is known as junk science and would normally be removed from the market they didn't have4427 immunity to injury, death, and defective design. The4431 original Goddess vaccine was sitting in federal court for fraud and had thousands of injuries and deaths associated with it. Godus nine replaced that vaccine, and they barely changed any of the ingredient.

They added more strains, lessens a shot, and double the aluminum adjuvant, which we know is highly toxic to the body. even ASAP has acknowledged and confirmed this at several meetings. Both vaccines were tested against 1 another, and because there was a point 2% difference in safety between the shots, it was approved. On the vaccine insert, you can clearly see the fraud being displayed as both vaccine showed five deaths each, but none were related to the vaccine. Hepatitis a has aborted fetal cells. in animal trials, a male, given female DNA and vice versa, has been shown that the DNA replicates and multiplies within the body causing gender confusion.

It is changing our children's genders. I am here to stand bush for the truth. These bills adulterate and annihilate the freedom that this republic is founded on. They cater to political4501 agendas and do not protect, promote, or embrace the well-being and of the members of the republic, especially families, or humankind for that matter. They are destructive, intrusive, and detrimental to the values and virtues that built this great nation. Why would we infiltrate the values these bills stand for when they oppose what has made this country a solid institution for 200 years? The vaccine industry is an incredibly lucrative, sinister, and a diabolical industry. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JESSICA MCGOVERN - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 HB 471 - My name is Jessica McGovern, and I live reside in Mass choose as I oppose all the vaccine bills, and I support H.582. I want to start by talking science. Did you know no childhood vaccine has been tested against a pure saline placebo? They test against another vaccine. This is not to the gold standard of science. This is fraud. Did you know that MRC-5 and WI-38 are aborted fetal cells, documented as ingredients in 4 vaccines. I have all the inserts here. The four vaccines are MMR, varicella, which is chicken pox, hepatitis a, and shingles. Doctor Stanley Plotkin, creator of four vaccines, author of Plotkin's vaccines discusses in his 9 hour deposition, which I encourage you to listen. chopping up 72 normal.

Fully developed fetuses, body parts, such as4628 heart, spleen, lung, kidney, pituitary gland, and tongue in 1 vaccine research project This is not my god. I will not have dead, fetal parts, injecting into my body, my children, or my grandchildren's bodies. This is not science. This is evil. Did you know a plasma from dogs? Remember Fauci's? He beagles? cows, pigs, and monkeys are in childhood vaccines? Did you know? Did you know that many toxic deadly chemicals like formaldehyde, aluminum, and mercury are vaccines that exceed the EPA limits. Did you know Pfizer is a convicted felon in 2009? 10 times in 2013, 2018and currently 2020. They are repeat offenders for false claims, and you trust them with your vaccines? Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JULIA KING - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 471 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Good day, committee chairs and members. My name is Julia King. I am a mother to 3 healthy children, and I've been a citizen of the Commonwealth for 35 years. Today,4705 I'm supporting Bill H582 and opposing the remaining bills. While4709 I believe this bill authors had good intentions, the consequences of passing them will4713 be devastating for my family and the Commonwealth at large. These bills will force and coerce families to4718 violate their autonomous rights in4720 making healthcare decisions in conjunction with their faith or lose access to a constitutionally4724 protected right to an education. The pandemic proved how detrimental a loss of in person education is to the youth of our nation and how difficult it was for families to grapple with the fallout.

Sadly, that time also highlighted extreme divisiveness in this country. We saw families, coworkers, and friends turn on each other over what should have been private medical decisions. I've never been so disheartened to witness such vitriol from the media, our government, and in our communities. We will be perpetuating societal division if we remove or restrict religious exemptions. Religious exemptions have always been available in our state. They are not a problem. The proposed bills are not going to achieve a higher uptake in vaccination as the proponents are hoping. What they will do is malign a minority population and only add fervor to the sentiment that those who do not fall in line are somehow unclean. Do we really want to create a society.

That deems it appropriate to discriminate against one another for private medical and religious choices, I can't in good conscience invest my time, my children's time, or money in a state that believes my children or myself are a threat. If these bills were to pass, my family would consider leaving the state. It speaks volumes that our state prides itself on equity, inclusion, and autonomy,4790 and so many other areas, yet this issue arouses such prejudice that people become comfortable using slurs such as anti vaxx or quack, anti science conspiracy theories, etcetera, none of which are an accurate depiction of who we are. As a concerned parent and citizen of the Commonwealth, I respectfully urge you to not move these destructive bills out of committee. and please support Bill H582 to reinforce medical exemptions for the minority population that so desperately needs them.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


KARA ALBERT - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Chair and all honorable committee members. My name is Kara Albert. I live in Needham Mass. I'm the mother of 2 school aged children. I'm here to date to testify in our position of Bill S 1458 and H.2151, an act promoting community immunity. There are many aspects to this bill that trouble me, like the fact that it'll give the Department of Public Health a final say over my right to exercise a religious exemption for my children instead of me, the parent, as it stands now. Not to mention, they will make school owners and administrators free to make complex health policy when they have zero medical training.

But for the sake of time constraints here, I'll focus on one. That being the discriminatory nature of this bill. I believe this bill discriminates against those with a religious objection to vaccination. It will prevent children like mine from receiving a public education, which is a fundamental right. Many people say that my my unvaccinated children being in school are a threat to theirs. Well, preventing them from their education feels vindictive. a way to punish them and our family for not having for having different beliefs. Not keeping everyone it's not going to keep everyone safe because after all, my children will still be out in the community. They're going to be at your local park, playground, restaurant, movie theater.

They'll be sitting next to you and your children at all these places. It doesn't really add up, and it feels like it's exclusionary just to be exclusionary. I hear every day that being a good citizen is being inclusive. That concept is taught everywhere4918 at work, at school, in business, Team Sports, etcetera. Absolutely everywhere. I thought it was4924 the key to a healthy and successful society. But in this case, we should4928 reject inclusivity. It's okay to exclude based on religious beliefs, beliefs that differ from the majority. The4936 unvaccinated using religious exemptions in school make up about 1% of the public school population. I know it's a little bit higher in a few areas. We are not a threat to society. We ask to not be discriminated Thank4948 you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


KATELYN FINN - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - HB 471 - Okay. Thank you to your person and committee for your time today. and pose all bills except for soldiers bill. This is the 3rd time I'm having to defend my children's and share beliefs for the right to an education. Clearly, parents all over the Commonwealth do not want these bills to pass. My son has special needs and has an IEP with his school. He had to attend kindergarten virtually during the pandemic. He failed kindergarten. Since he went to 1st grade in person and received his IEP.

He needed 96% growth in reading and writing, 83% growth in math from when he had started. If these bills were to pass, special needs children all around the commonwealth would lose their services, accommodations, and ability to learn in the way they need to. Every child deserves a right to an education regardless of their medical history. I am a low income, single mom of two, Not only would my sons severely suffer from being denied in education,5019 but my daughter would be denied day care, which would not allow me to work and support my family. I have a sincere religious belief. It is not 1 that has a church or a religious leader. I am a practicing wiccan, and I have my beliefs and my deities.

I have personal relationships with them. Me and my kids should not have to be discriminated against because of this. I will move if these bills pass. Massachusetts would not be a place for my family any longer. Russia's bill keeps kids medical records from parents, and it does not even address the population of kids whose vaccine records are not even reported. Quarantine laws are already put in place for my kids to stay home. There is an outbreak of a preventable illness. These bills are unnecessary, discriminatory, and not in favor of the children. I ask you, please choose to not leave them behind. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ERIN COTTON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - HB 471 - Dear chairs and members of the community. My name is Erin Cotton, and I live in Newbury. Thank you for the opportunity to oppose all of these bills with afternoon to bill 582. I am an educator. I've been teaching in this the state for almost 20 years. I'm a mother, and I'm here on behalf of all children and my own children, my family. I just want to ask a couple questions. The first is why. Why do we have to mandate these we are not we are a state that does not have an under vaccinated issue. We are the most if not the most, 1 of the most vaccinated states in the country. In the age of, believe, women, it seems that this is believe these women, but not those mothers.

In the age of diversity, equity, and inclusion, it feels like we're saying include these people, but not these. in the age of my body, my choice, it applies to these choices, but not that choice. Personally, I have felt very orphaned recently as I had a 20 week5182 situation where the5184 my child would have had it most likely wouldn't have survived, and I felt5188 very grateful to have that choice. on the flip side, I haven't had the choice to make the choice for my own children and whether to take a experimental vaccine or not, I'm looking at a whole host of whatever comes down the pike if we lose these freedoms. the irony of being a a state that in a country that is built on religious freedom, I just want to ask us why when we're talking about 1%. Thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


HEIDI HUDSON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Dear committee, my name is Heidi Hudson. Okay. Thank5235 you. Dear committee, my name is Heidi Hudson, and I support representative Soter’s bill to preserve medical exemptions because it protects physicians, children, and exemptions in Massachusetts vulnerable and medically fragile children should be allowed to maintain their right and access to an education, physicians need support and protection, to exercise their own clinical judgment with such patients without worry of professional repercussions. I opposed all other bills being heard today for the following reasons. First, because it would be irresponsible and negligent to allow minor to consent to any medical procedure, including a vaccine without parental consent or knowledge.

From a provider who may not have a history or relationship with such a minor and without such a position having an in-depth family medical history. A minor is unable to enter into a legally bindable contract in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Why should anyone think that a minor should or would understand its foreign consent? in no way is supportive of children. It is outrageous to think that any physician who has taken the oath to do no harm would make it comfortable to not only perform a medical procedure on a minor without parental consent, but to then keep a record as such hidden from the minor's parent. 2nd, because we have every parent should be allowed to passionately practice their god given right to parent their own children under their own parental and god worshiping power to make the decisions that are best for their children.

And to protect practice this right under the currently allowed religious exemption in this commonwealth. If this legislation were to pass, my 2 minor children would not be allowed to continue their high school education would be excluded from other school related activities among other things. This would5323 also have far reaching repercussions to their future college choices and careers. How is this acceptable for any child? Would it be for yours? Again, this is not supportive of every of any child. Every student in the state is allowed to receive an education and that must never change due to religious beliefs. This is discrimination and should not be tolerated. Lastly, because there is evidence and support that since the risk of dying from cervical cancer in the United States is 2.3 out of 100,000, but the risk of getting an autoimmune disease from HPV vaccine is 2.3 out of a 100. The risk of getting autoimmune disease from a certain agency that is okay.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


BRIAN WALSH - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 471 - HB 582 - Okay. Thank you. Public Health Committee. My name is Brian Walsh. I tested by today in all of the bills, except in support of H.582. I'm a mother of two healthy boys, and these bills that these bills would deeply impact so much so, we'd be forced to leave Massachusetts, this for a state that respects their rights to an education as so many of my friends already have. Today,5387 you've heard stats, facts, personal5389 stories. You've heard about religious freedoms, educational rights as citizens of5393 the state. But on hope, on top of5395 all that, I hope you hear the outer fear of these parents, that they will help5399 to uproot their lives and leave a state rearrange to homeschool.

While your personal views might not align, I hope you do listen with an open mind and an open heart that these parents, your constituents, do know their child and their situation best. This is the 5th year of this, and 3rd session for the community muting act as well as The removal of religious exemption has been presented. And despite the unprecedented opposition, year after year, we're still left fighting in hopes that the rug will not be pulled out from underneath us. The last5430 3 years have highlighted what a great topic5432 this is, and the medical intervention shouldn't be dictated5436 by the government, especially 1 with no liability. Representative Vargas has previously said, it's just the old childhood vaccines. But since that in 2019, We have now been presented with a flu mandate, an HPV bill, and hep a bill, and a COVID mandate for most colleges.

It should be noted that 45 states offer religious exemptions. We are in the majority when it comes to respecting religious rights to citizens. Mississippi recently winning a lawsuit, giving the religious exemption. New York senator has a bill to reinstate theirs in Connecticut and Maine of fighting theirs in5471 the courts. This would be an uphill legal battle, as well as a financial battle to where you're going to put all of these kids that you have a right, they have a right to a public education. In closing, I am in support of H.582, protect medical professionals in the state to practice medicine without a threat, and continue to protect the religious exemption that has been in place5491 for decades with no issue.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


COURTNEY RICHARD - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Hello there. I'm here to support H.528, and I'm opposing the rest of them. My name is Courtney, born and raised in Massachusetts, mother to three beautiful, healthy, thriving boys whose futures you will ruin. I am miss Jane that I have to be here fighting for religious freedom in 2023 at a time when inclusivity is at the forefront. These bills seem pretty discriminatory and excluding people of faith, don't you think? We, so we only care about some people and their mental health and equal opportunity, but not everyone's. Got it. The lines between church and state are being trampled on I've surely had enough of government overreach.

And as far as I knew, government5561 officials fight to protect our rights, not fight us to take them away. I do not welcome or need any government to dictate to me how to live my life or to practice my religion and to please leave my family alone. If it's about community immunity, keeping people healthy, please tell me, where are all the healthy kids and adults? All I see is sickness, but safety for all. Right? So what about my husband who suffered a vaccine reaction? And not one doctor or nurse cared, couldn't hide the eye rolls after he told them he fainted after he received the TDAP and spent years with him sick and suffering with no ants I thought we, as a state, pride ourselves on great healthcare.

Will not for my husband, I guess, that’s just one of many stories, and you want to make it a product that is harmed, is liability free and only has a measly% age of cases reported or acknowledged. Not to mention, we already have high vaccination rates here, which makes me wonder the true reasons behind these heinous bills. Not one product, will ever work5629 100% of the time for 100% of the people. If you actually cared about all adults and children, I would not5637 be here today, because you would have learned from the hours of testimony in New5641 York, New Jersey, Connecticut.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


GABRIELLA MICHAELISZYN - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Okay. I support Rep Soter’s Bill. and the one about the funeral directors, which I think is getting the shaft, but I oppose all the other bills. The problem I see is we can't even have an honest discussion about vaccines. We all heard both Trump and Biden and more importantly, what he say that taking the COVID vaccine would prevent infection. He assured us that in the early days. and backtracked. And that's what Rep Soter was talking about in the beginning of this meeting. To suggest otherwise is gas lighting us, and that is happening a lot. We know what happened, and that is denied. We cannot have an honest discussion because of the fear that people won't vaccinate.

Parents who choose a non standard vaccination option for their children are routinely denied care from their Perhaps because of bonuses, by insurance companies. Perhaps they're afraid to lose their license. They don't write medical exemptions because doctors that write too many can be looked into and potentially lose their license. Immunize cancer patients are told to avoid people who have recently been vaccinated with live vaccines. There is a danger of shedding and The only people that talk about it are cancer doctors, They're the only ones that admit it. I have a friend whose child died as a result of a vaccine. She was hooked into believing it was states and her second child was disabled. This is real. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


AMY VICKERS - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Hi. I'm an Amherst resident, and I'm here to oppose All the vaccine bills with the exception of H.582. I want to speak to specific problems with H.2151 in Act to protect community immunity. Number one, by empowering preschool staff daycare owners and school administrators to make a medical decision to vaccinate children is that not practicing medicine and without a license. Two, what legal and financial liability will schools and staff assume for vaccine and for children as a result of blanket mandates that failed to take into account each child's unique health vulnerabilities.

Three If school and institutional doctors are allowed to administer vaccines of that parental knowledge and consent, thus making them ignorant child's vulnerabilities such as allergies or a compromised immune system, won't those physicians run the risk of lawsuits for negligence and malpractice when those children are injured by vaccines. Again, in closing, I urge you to vote no. on H.2151, and similar bills that override rental authority regarding vaccines and5936 related medical decisions for children. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CHRIS RODSON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - Thank you for hearing me today. I'm here because I'm a resident of Chusetts , as well as a parent. And I strongly oppose all of the bills, except I do support H582. I feel it's important to let you know that when my mother was 9 years old, she and my grandmother immigrated from Eastern Europe. As a result, my whole life I heard how lucky I was to have been born an American to live in a free country, and I received warnings about how awful it was to live in socialist and communist regimes of Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, these bills, I oppose, do resemble the warnings that I received.

A couple examples for one and bill S.1458 as well as H.2151. You know, I've actually shared with other parents who haven't kept an eye6029 on this that this bill would allow any physician to administer vaccinations to minors without rental consent or knowledge. There's no limitations on age or intellectual ability. And furthermore, the medical records pertaining to these vaccinations would be concealed from parents. When I've said this to parents, they've thought I was lying and I was kidding. Couldn't believe it. They thought it was from a bad movie. I don't know what the purpose is there, and many people think it's senseless. .

Furthermore, when it comes to S.1391and H.604. Removing religious exemptions, it oh, palls me. As we all know, this country in the state would not be here if it wasn't for the pursuit of religious freedom. you're attacking the origins of our country. I would ask6080 you to stop this. I strongly oppose6082 it. And I can tell you, I don't blame parents or disagree with parents who want vaccines for their children, that's fine. I can see how they do, but you need to give us a choice. And let me tell you, I a son who is injured by a vaccine. And if you spent 24 hours in my household, you would understand why I'm closing this.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
HEATHER STILES - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Thank you. I support representative Soter’s bill and oppose the rest of the bills on the docket today. I'm a progressive with the degree in geology. I've worked an environmental scientist, and as a high-tech writer, I believe, is science. I also am the mother of vaccine child. My son suffered serious life changing vaccine injury. He ran a high fever for hours, screeched, and screamed, and arched in pain,6135 He left speech eye contact and had seizures. He rocked at the corner for hours at a time and no longer knew his name.

His doctors saw the changes and the increase in his head size, but he would not write a medical exemption. Doctors are afraid by the exemptions at the risk of losing their careers are too great. I prayed to god about what to do. I was heartbroken and angry. I dreaded the thought of being called an anti vaxxer. but I know that god does not want me to sacrifice my children's health or lives. Only about 1% of Students in Massachusetts have a religious exemption. We are using the exemption appropriately, and they must remain available. If you passed the Community Community Act, a physician would be able to vaccinate him again without our knowledge or consent, and he is not able to consent.

It is simply beyond the pale to allow medical decisions to be made without parental knowledge and agreement. Imagine how you would feel if your own child's came home 1 day completely changed, suffering, and pain, or even died, and you had no way to find out what had happened. my children love school. I'm a kindergartner, a 5th grader, both with IEPs, and 1 starting college in Massachusetts. Please do not steal6215 children's right to a fair and appropriate public education. My injured child has come so far in large part due to his amazing special education teachers, please do not kick them out of cool. Thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


KAYLEE DEGRACE - CONCERNED CITIZEN - Hi. My name is Kaylee DeGrace, and I live in6243 Western Mass. I was poisoned by the HPV vaccine. Vaccine safety is not 100%. That particular vaccine is 1 of the highest rates for aftermarket adverse effects. Investigators reporting found a cluster of students with injuries from this vaccine in your district, senators here. I'm a public school teacher and I'm willing to teach any student who6267 walks into my classroom regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion,6271 or vaccine status. That's the job, and their right is protected.

The reality is that no one is getting HPV in school. And if they are, we have bigger issues. After the injury, I was dead set against getting the COVID vaccine. The aftermarket data suggests a correlation between that vaccine and blood clot My dad almost died from a blood clot, and his doctor said that she was not allowed to write medical exemption because of our disease. was not listed specific contraindication.6304 He almost lost his job. When I have kids, they could have this genetic6310 risk as well. I can't speak for the major organized religions in the world, but as a Quaker, I believe that God is non corporeal and is found in nature.

Vaccines are not of nature. They are the result of scientists playing God, and they're creating things that God in nature did not. Their manufacturing alone is bad for the environment, requiring more plastic pollution than Fathomable. Other Quakers disagree with me. as is their right to their beliefs. Religion like6344 medicine is not 1 size fits all. People, religion, and medicine are complex. A medical exemption doesn't preclude a religious exemption and vice versa. You must respect the power of people to decide for themselves. Doctors and priests advise. Patients decide. People believe.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


RHEA ZHANG - CONCERNED CITIZEN - Hi. I'm Rhea Zhang. I grew up in6379 communist country,6381 where people with religion will constantly household, attacked, and persecuted, and then I come to the United States to pursue my PhD degree and then I come to message process, leave here. Once I thought I was lucky. However, When I read these bills, basically, these bills telling me that you are threatening to kick out my kids out of schools because of my religion? Am I really live in America? Having said that, I still think that I'm lucky to live in this country. I love America, especially Massachusetts, a state called the spirit of America. And, also, our neighboring state in New Hampshire, a state called leaf free or die. Ladies, ladies, please do not disappoint me. Don't take away my freedom of religion away. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ELIZABETH HEALED - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - Yep. Good afternoon, co chairs, and members of the community. Thank you so much for listening to me speak today. I'm here to support representative Soter's bill and oppose the rest of the bills on the docket. My name is Elizabeth Heel, and I have lived in Massachusetts for the last 20 years. and my husband for all of his life. We met here. We got married here and grew our family here. I'm sorry. Despite derogatory labels meant to silence opposing views, I am not a crazy person. I'm well educated. I care so deeply for my children, and I am very passionate about topics related to equity.

We've always loved Massachusetts because, traditionally, it's been a state that values and supports diversity of all kinds. People making different6507 decisions and believing different things. And this is why I'm here6511 today expressing my strong concerns representative Vargas' bill and senator Roush's bill because they will encourage discrimination and divide, and they are not inclusive an individual's right to bodily autonomy nor an individual's right to hold sincerely held religious beliefs. I am pro choice. I am a strong believer in medical freedom of in freedom of choice around all health care decisions and respecting what an individual thinks is best for their body and also that of their children. But when it comes to vaccines, it's a whole another category.

They are produced by pharmaceutical companies that are exempt from liability and where money carries enormous influence and can buy results. when there is such a high vaccination rate in the state, extremely low exemption rate, no vaccine preventable outbreaks in the last decade, and knowing that vaccines are unevitably unsafe, it honestly baffles me as to how this bill will improve the health or educational outcomes in this state. I would like to note that although the community immunity bill has been marketed to preserve exemptions, I think we all know that in reality, it isn't preserving them. Just look at California yeah. Oh, gosh. Thanks. Okay.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ANDREA MURPHY - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - Hi. Good afternoon. Members of the committee. My name is Andrea Murphy. I'm a 4th generation lifelong resident of Massachusetts. As is my husband who also served over 25 years in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, I live in Wrentham. I have one son. I'm the daughter of a Framingham Public School teacher. I have a very lengthy resume of public service. I've dedicated time and resources to helping people in this community. I say this because I want you to understand that I am someone that wants to help people. I know you do too.

I know you are tasked with making laws to protect people, but you also need to protect their right their medical freedom. And most importantly, you need to protect children, which is what everyone of the bill today is about. To do that, I firmly6680 support Bill H 582, and I strongly propose oppose the remainder. I specifically want to express opposition to many aspects of the community immunity bill H.2151. There's language in it that would allow DPH to disclose names of people that are not vaccinated. And I also am against the section that allows any minor not based on circumstances or competency to consent to a vaccine without parental knowledge or consent.

At no time should a child be bribed, threatened, coerced, forced, bullied, or face consequences for medical decisions that they cannot6723 comprehend. I say this, because Boston Public Schools And Boston Public Health thinks it's a good idea to incent children to get a vaccine. On the website, which has been on there for over a year, there is a flyer that a 12 year old can get a gift card if they're vaccinated. this happens to be talking about the COVID vaccine, it could be talking about any vaccine. They can be entered into a raffle, and they can get a $25 gift card if bring a friend,6752 at no time should a child know the6756 personal medical information of another child. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


ANNE THERIAULT - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - My name is Anne Theriault name Because I can only testify once I ask that you vote against H.604 and S.1391. Then I ask that you vote against S.1458 and H.2151. The discussion of whether a vaccine is appropriate or not for a youngster is between the parents of a family and their children. Arguments do not need to be made at a level of legislation. If a child chose to be vaccinated outside of his parents' permission, that's okay, you can legislate instead to prevent litigation against the state in cases of schools or medical institutions going against parent parents wishes and allowing vaccination, or in cases where vaccinated children have died from vaccination But these two bills are misleading.

They keep the religious exemption from vaccination, but require those require to go through the DPH halls. They allow private schools, including colleges, to not accept religious exemptions at all. It also grants far reaching powers to DPH to mandate new vaccines for college students. without government oversight. These new vaccines would not be currently required by the applicable statute or DPH. Has big pharma been pushing for these bills? The bills also legislate that any vaccination of children can be kept secret from the parents. Does that make the school the new parent? That is indoctrinating an individual child into6917 who matters most in the world. THE societal machine. Parents have the right to be involved in the healthcare decisions of their minor children. No secrets should be kept. These bills grant too much power to DPH among other flaws. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


NATALIE RIBEIRO - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Okay. Natalie Ribeiro I'm from Cambridge Mass in favor of 582 against all of the other vaccine bills. I wanted to say that during COVID, many of you learned about6953 religious exemptions, and that was new to you. But it was not new to many of us who6957 would have had them been using them for years. The exemptions were so new to you.6961 You felt you had to invent a process to screen people in or out, but there was already a a system in place. For us each year, we have to sign a paper citing our sincere religious beliefs, submit it to our schools along with our children's wellness report for their doctor is the system.

And part of the system is if there was an outbreak of a certain disease like polio, our kids stay home till it passes because we don't have the vaccine kids have the vaccine. So if the vaccine works, as the doctor mentioned earlier this morning, lost most of a lifetime, then they'll be fine. Why are you feeling the need to remove this? Removal of parental rights, removal of informed consent, removal of religious exemptions are shocking to me. vaccinating children behind their parents back and not informing their parents is beyond shocking, and I cannot believe this is happening in America. Imagine scenarios in the future where certain health policies are mandated that dramatically conflict with your sincere and fundamental belief system. or your sincere religious beliefs.

I am scared for my kids right now. I'm scared to send them7022 to school, and I was during COVID. During COVID, we witnessed tactics akin to kidnappers who promised puppies and candy. You also had promises of gifts and tickets to fun events in exchange for vaccines, children don't know the full story or implication, promises of gifts and coercion do not amount to inform consent. The notions of vaccinating children without con parents consent is reckless. And why? I don't understand. Again, I'm scared to send my kids to school. regarding the medical doctors, I feel like this needs to be expanded. They're being so scared. I understand why it's silly that you have to write this down but I understand because during COVID, they were silent, canceled, ostracized, for suggesting anything other than the seemingly mysteriously agreed upon narrative.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


FREDERICK FOGEL - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - My name is Fred Fogel. I graduated Harvard Law School in 1985 and have been practicing since in the corporate sector. I want to start by applauding the Commonwealth's record of success in raising vaccination rates steadily over the years while respecting parental rights and parental choice. In that context, I will address Section 6 and 7 of the Community Community Act. These permit a provider to administer preventative care including vaccinations to a minor child without the knowledge or consent of parents. When deciding who has the ultimate authority of her health decisions for children. This United States Supreme Court has been unambiguous for over a 100 years.

This power and responsibility belongs to the parents and not to the state. Yet the act of violates this bedrock principle. It allows parental consent to be bypassed and access to medical records entirely blocked. This is almost certainly unconstitutional. And indeed, and I really want to draw this case to your attention, a federal district court in the district of Columbia just over a year ago, recently enjoined a similar law, finding that it conflicted with both federal law and the free exercise clause of the constitution. the district, the law was enjoined, and the district was forced to withdraw it. The community immunity act has the same defect and would make meet the same fate. if as it most certainly will be, it is challenging court.

Worse than failing the constitutional test, it this provision fails as test of common sense. a young or even intellectually disabled child could be vaccinated without anyone knowing of the child's medical history or exemptions. the parent might never know or be able to respond to adverse reactions, properly make future medical decisions, or seek compensation in the event of serious adverse reactions. That was a main reason the district of Columbia Long was struck down by federal court. I think parents in your constituents would be astonished at this possibility. would ask you sincerely to pause before pursuing a bill like this. Thank you very much for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


JOHN BEAUDOI - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - Okay. Very good. Thank you. Hello. My name is John Baudoin. I'm from Medfield, Massachusetts. I'm commenting on all the bills before this committee. You have no Immunity from criminal conduct, homicide crimes have no statutes of limitations, refusal to investigate following information, violates your legal duty to act, Inaction is deliberate indifference to life through a public workers request to analyze 500,000 Massachusetts death certificates from 2015 to present from those that drive the following data by trend analysis. More than 4000 people in Massachusetts alone died from COVID vaccines. This includes 3000 cardiac arrest desk, 500 excess pulmonary embolism desk, 400 excess cardiac arrhythmia deaths, dysautonomia, thromocytopenia, acute post hemorrhagic anemia, neurological issues, hundreds of turbo cancer7273 deaths, lymph node cancer.

300% of normal in the last two years in Massachusetts alone? 2000 excess acute renal failure likely from remdesivir Massachusetts built this pandemic on fraud. I will prove it in federal court. You have a duty to look up these MIIS records. it'll be guilty of deliberate indifference, men's ray and homicide. Cassidy Barakah, 7 years old, Groton, Massachusetts. Ian Shoemaker, 11 years old, Bellingham, Massachusetts, Amaya McDonoughrocha, 12 years old, Milton, Massachusetts. Eden McDonald, 17 years old Essex. Brianna McCarratt, 30 years old. Gabriel. Stop the cover up, investigate now. Hey, listen, see you. Don't pay attention to her, I'm talking. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to get before a federal grand jury. and I'll put your names on the list of suspects when I get there. Keep smiling back.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


MICHELLE ALFANO - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Thank you. While reading these bills, a thought occurred to me, and I wonder if any on this committee realized that this country the very country that has afforded you the opportunity and the privilege to have you sit where you are was founded on religious, on judo Christian values, religious freedom, Rebecca. My faith, like many others, is lifelong, sincerely held, and deeply personal. but for the grace of God go I is not a slogan, to hundreds and thousands of people across this commonwealth. So, no, you do not have the right to diminish someone's faith.

How dare you think that you are in a position to be as little or even eliminate Andrew, the sincerely held religious belief, shameful. It's enraging. I'd like to go on record to oppose all the bills except H.582. The Community immunity bill seeks to modify existing laws for religious exemptions by mandating the use of a form developed by the Department of Health requiring annual approval. Okay. One's faith, a belief in a higher power, experience with divine intervention, is not a statement that fits in a box on a form. and no 1 should ever seek justification from GPH.

Even more egregious, the bill of the childhood immunities would eliminate the religious exemption altogether, as if one's faith was a line item to be deleted, appalling, the community also Bill would also allow vaccination of children without parental consent, and then the records would be concealed from the7487 parents. Again, a sounding. The arrogance to think that a committee knows better than the parents. These aren't the government's children. It's not the joint committee's children. There are children, and we know what's best. not you. Sadly, it seems you've forgotten that we live in the birthplace of freedom. We need a return to moral and religious principles of faith Not the removal of it.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
JULIE BORAS - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Thank you to the committee. We speak today in fierce opposition to all the school vaccine bills, with the exemption of H.582. My7543 name is Julie Boras. I speak on behalf of myself and approximately 15,000 health rights mass members. We are a grassroots movement of Massachusetts residents that have decided we can be silent no more. These bills vastly overreach into our lives into places they do not belong. The government, no matter how well intentioned, may not, and does not make health decisions for me or my family, period. Vaccine injury is real, and it's time to talk about it. Vaccines have harmed millions of lives. They are liability free pharmaceutical products. They cause injuries that go far beyond the individual.

They affect entire families, our schools, and our communities. My family has been harmed multiple times by vaccines. We used the most basic of scientific methods to ascertain whether7600 or not vaccination was right for a family, the trial and error method. And based on the results, we now live a pharmaceutical free life. I will never forgive myself for handing my perfect newborn baby over just hours after birth to receive the first vaccine on the childhood schedule for hepatitis B. I did not investigate it at all. I blindly accepted, and now I know how completely unnecessary and harmful was, and I can't undo the damage I unwittingly caused.

I asked all those here testifying in support of these bills to just type vaccine.dot guide into any browser, look at the ingredients and the adverse events. every ailment used as a reason that others must vaccinate, you will see as a listed known adverse event the childhood vaccines. And now you are asking others to risk their child's health to protect yours. It's a vicious cycle and it needs to stop. I will be submitting this list of organizations, which are either Massachusetts, based or nationally recognized that join us in proposing these vastly7679 overreaching and dangerous and discriminatory bills These are blatantly unconstitutional and most certainly will tie up the state and multiple lawsuits if passed. Please suppose these bills and support representative Soter's bill H.582. Thank you.

LYNN GREENWOOD- CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Hi. So Lynn Greenwood, I'm going to be submitting the Cleveland Clinic study, which is the most current data that the more COVID vaccines you receive, the more likely you are to get COVID. We're submitting them to school committees across our IIM and a lot of other people, school committees across the state. because you're knowingly doing harm to a student if you actually want them to take another COVID shot. So I believe that that's not something we want to be doing. I'm also going to be handing over this book on the HPV. I have a close friend, her daughter at the age of 14, got It's juvenile derma mitosis. Sorry. It's hard for me to whatever. She cannot go in sunlight. at the age of 14.

It destroyed her life. It's very common. She's part of a support group of mothers that all have it. There's been an uptick in that disease. That's one of many with the HPV vaccine that we're seeing since it's been diagnosed. There's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of posts here. of people that got HPV after the vaccine and cervical cancer after the vaccine. That's what we should be looking at, not mandating it for our children. My child was vaccine injured at 2 years old. He reacted to a Spider Man ice cream cone. And I said, what's up with that? And I said, I'm taking toxins out of his world. our whole family, and that's what I realized that he couldn't do the toxins. So I don't put toxins in my child.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
BRIAN CURRY - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Brian Curry, and I'm a resident of Massachusetts. We all want it what is best for children and children's health. and why I can appreciate the intent of these bills. They will be harmful to certain residents. I oppose all bills except H.582. A7827 restrictive and one size fits all7829 approach for healthcare does not work.7831 How does limiting exemptions for people that are allergic to vaccines protect their health. How does forcing people to choose between their faith or being able to attend schools promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Massachusetts is a staunch supporter of pro choice regarding abortion. But if these laws are passed, the state would not allow choice to a small minority group pertaining to vaccines. How can the legislature advocate for pro choice for abortion and not vaccines? As a parent and former teacher, I am very concerned about the continued loss of education and burden that some children and families will experience if these laws are past. We all witness the tremendous loss of education experience due to COVID, and the full severity is still being measured with many experts claiming this generation of children may never recover. These laws would further compound the loss of education.

In addition, in the 1970s, the CDC gave children 3 doses of vaccines, and less than 5% of the population had a chronic illness. I was born in the 1980s and got 11 doses and 10% of the population had a chronic illness. Today, the CDC gives over 70 doses. And by 2006, Over 50% of the population had a chronic illness. So despite adding seven times the amount of doses compared to the 1980s, Children in public health has dramatically declined over the years. We should be studying what is declining in this what is causing this decline, not adding more vaccines. Furthermore, autism was approximately one in 20,000 in the 1970s. A few years ago, it was 1 in 60. And today, it is one in 34.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CURRY - That's fine. Like, comment if a child's injured by a vaccine vaccine, what liability do pharmaceutical companies have or the legislative body? You have none. You all have full immunity. I will let the other members speak. We thought we had 6 minutes too per person.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


CAROLINE COLARUSSO - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Okay. My name is Caroline7983 Colarusso, Lifelong Massachusetts resident. Living Stoneham, a former two term select woman and most recently a candidate for Congress. I am here today testifying against the majority of your bills, however supporting the religious and medical exemptions. I have a question. What makes data reliable? It has to be looked at over time, and you have to evaluate out comes. There is not enough data, and we haven't evaluated enough outcomes to be able to support these laws. The reason that senator Rausch It's here trying to support forced vaccine mandates.

It's simply because the confidence of the people8019 and the parents isn't there. There's a lot of information that isn't getting to the general8024 public because of the media suppression, and only a of the adverse actions are reported in Veres. Lastly, my dad is 80 years old. He's retired two years ago. He was golfing and dancing. Two COVID jobs. two COVID boosters. He's reduced to a chair. Can't go to the bathroom by himself. I have a son that has a congenital heart disease. If he had got the vaccine, he would not be here with me today. We have to ask why people are dying suddenly at a young age and why there's so many stillborn births. At the very least, you must pause your actions to evaluate more outcomes and give this data more time to be analyzed. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE


BRIAN PAULSON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 604 - SB 1391 - HB 471 - HB 2151 - SB 1458 - HB 582 - So this is Brian Paulson. Thank you for taking the time to listen to my story. We gave the flu shot to my son on November 30 2020 when the state mandated it for schools. On December first, the next day, my son woke up with a 104 fever, clammy skin, a severe headache, shivers, and vomiting. He was8101 miserable in an excruciating pain. As I sat there holding him for the8105 next 24 hours, praying my son would8107 be okay. I couldn't believe I8109 had done this to my own child.

He was fortunate, and then it only lasted one day. I cannot imagine if the flu's act flu vaccine had affected him his entire life. My number 1 job as a parent is to protect my children at all costs. Bill'sS.1391 and H.604 want to remove my religious exemption and my right to do just that. I also oppose H 471, S.1458 and H.2151. I do have her support Bill H.582 presented by the representative Mike Soter, Thanks for your time. Again, this is Brian Paulson, testimony. Thank you very much. For those
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
ERIN JOHNSON - CONCERNED CITIZEN - HB 582 - Hi. My name is Erin Johnson. I'm a Massachusetts resident and a mother of five children. Two of whom are on IEPs whose lives would be completely8197 devastated by the bills I am testifying on today. I'm here to state my strong opposition to all the bills as well as support for H582. In 2020, my husband and I were forced to move our family from California, where my husband and his family are from to my hometown in Massachusetts, because California passed bills exactly like the ones I am opposing here today. First, they took away the religious exemptions, then they went after medical exemptions, and the doctors who wrote them.8228

Through DPH, they tracked and traced medical exemptions, the children who received them and the8234 doctors who wrote them. they amended the original law and made the guidelines so narrow that it became impossible for doctors to write medical exemptions. Eventually, they went after the doctors who wrote the exemptions prior to 2020, who are working within the confines of the law at that time. These doctors either had their licenses taken away or had disciplinary actions placed against them, and they were put on lists. These lists were then given to the schools and the children who were grandfathered in or who had medical exemptions prior to 2020 written by doctors on the list who were kicked out of school.

If these bills move forward, eventually, they deny all exemptions because there will be a target on the backs of the doctors, the children, and8276 the schools. When you target children's8278 schools and doctors, it creates a bullying situation, and only the parents are left to8282 advocate for their children. I cannot find a doctor in Massachusetts to honor the medical exemptions I have for my children. If these bills move forward, what is going to happen to my children and all of these children? and to my family. Will we be forced to rip our children away from their family, friends, sports, and8300 school again? Will we be forced to close our successful business again that we just started and move to a place where we do not have any family or support.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
© InstaTrac 2025