Some Vermont pediatric offices have begun “kicking parents out” and restricting access to health care if parents choose not to accept the risks of a vaccine procedure for their child.
- Rainbow Pediatrics:
” To join our practice, and to remain in our practice if you already belong, children must recieve the MMR vaccine unless it is medically contraindicated, or a religious exempton, in which case, we would require a letter from you church.” ([sic]; “sic” means hat spelling errors are theirs and were intentionally left uncorrected) – Source: http://rainbowvt.com/news/our_policy_on_mmr_measles-mumps-rubella_vaccine/
- Middlebury Pediatrics:
“To remain in this practice, children must receive the MMR vaccine unless it is medically contraindicated. We are unable to make any exceptions for religious or philosophical exemptions.” (bold emphasis is ours) http://middleburypediatric.org/forms-policies/
This is not ethical medicine. These doctors are willfully ignoring the risks of the Merck MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine, which are clearly acknowledged by the manufacturer in the MMR vaccine package insert. The policies are even more restrictive than the new state law and affected parents have pointed out that this feels like discrimination (it is) and that their trust has been broken.
If your doctor implements such a policy, be prepared to find your courage, “get off the bus”, and leave yourself extra time to find a new provider who will respect your human right to informed consent.
Jennifer Stella, June 5, 2016