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4/6/2017
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Representative Sherry Roberts Testifies Before House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare on HPV Bill
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STATE HOUSE -- On Wednesday, April 6, 2017, Representative Sherry Roberts (R-District 29 Coventry, West Greenwich) testified before members of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, regarding House bill 5919.
Representative Roberts is the primary sponsor for House bill 5919, an act which would amend the provisions of the general laws relating to vaccines by allowing adults, parents, guardians, or persons in custody of a child to opt out of vaccines for non-casual contact diseases transmitted by sexual contact between individuals and would require all correspondence to parents relating to vaccinations to contain notification about the provision.
Before the committee, Representative Roberts testified, “I have heard from many constituents, not just my own, who feel that the Department of Health has gone too far in overstepping their boundaries, such as with the HPV vaccination mandate. First, there have been documented instances where children have had severe adverse reactions as a result of receiving the HPV vaccine. Since HPV is transmitted through sexual contact and is not an airborne contagion, not everyone is at risk and it is widely believed that the benefits of getting the HPV vaccine do not outweigh the medical risks involved.”
“It is felt that some vaccinations such as this HPV vaccine, are best left to the parent/guardians to decide what is best for their own child and we urge you to pass this bill to the House Floor for a vote,” she concluded.
House bill 5919 is co-sponsored by House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan (R-District 26 Coventry, Warwick, West Warwick), Representative Justin Price (R-District 39 Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond), Representative Robert Quattrocchi (R-District 41 Scituate, Cranston) and Representative Jeremiah T. O’Grady (D-District 46 Lincoln, Pawtucket).
For more information, contact:
Raina C. Smith, House Minority Office
State House Room 106
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2259
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