Bill Introduced Eliminating Mandatory HPV Vaccine

Rep. Sherry Roberts believes that a mandatory HPV vaccine bill is unethical and that parents should be given a choice. She’s now introduced a bill she hopes to get passed that would allow parents to make an informed choice over the matter. Back in 2016, Rhode Island made it mandatory for all 7th graders to get the Gardasil vaccine.

On Wednesday, Roberts went before the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare to plead her case and push the bill she’s now sponsoring.

“It is widely believed that the benefits of receiving the vaccine do not outweigh the medical risks involved, and this decision is best left to parents,” Roberts said to wpri. “This legislation will achieve exactly that, to put the vaccine discretion back into the hands of the parents, where it belongs.”

Roberts bill, if passed, would give parents the option to take a pass on any vaccine that’s core competency is to protect against non-casual contact diseases, most notably HPV. Furthermore, the bill would force the school to send out letters informing parents of their option to opt their children out of the vaccine.

“Since HPV is not an airborne contagion, not everyone is at risk,” Roberts said. “Therefore, many parents believe that the Department of Health is overstepping its boundaries by mandating the HPV vaccine for their children.”