In 2020, Maine Voted Down Disease.
PL 154 protects Maine’s children from 8 deadly diseases.
On March 3, 2020, Maine was the first state in the nation to vote on vaccine laws.
The revised law eliminates non-medical exemptions to vaccine requirements for school attendance, closing the loopholes that threaten community immunity and leave children at risk for contagious infectious disease. As a bill, LD 798 passed the legislature in 2019 with broad support from parents, physicians, legislators, and the governor. After a well-funded veto effort, Maine Families for Vaccines launched the No on 1 Campaign to Protect Maine’s Children. The state of Maine ultimately voted to defend public health with a 72.5% majority.
The No on 1 Campaign Coalition included 64 leading organizations, including the American Medical Association, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, the Maine Medical Association, the American Nurses Association of Maine, MaineHealth, Intermed, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, the Maine Community Action Association, the Maine Public Health Association, the New Mainers Public Health Initiative, the Maine Council on Aging, Equality Maine, the Maine Council of Churches, and the Maine Chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics.
The Landscape for Lawmaking
4th
highest rate of non-medical opt-outs in the nation.
Until Public Law 154 passed in 2020, Maine was one of only 17 states in which families of school-aged children could use a loophole to opt out of school-required immunizations. Maine had the 4th highest rate of non-medical opt-outs, which put our community immunity below safe thresholds for disease outbreak.
5.6%
of Maine kindergartners are missing all or some of their vaccines.
Only 0.6% of Maine kindergarten parents requested medical exemptions in the 2018-2019 school year. Non-medical exemptions were requested nearly 10 times more.
The Covid-19 pandemic has prevented many parents from visiting their pediatricians and left other families without health insurance. limiting their access to preventative care. Maine Families for Vaccines works with partners to improve school-ready immunization rates through projects including Vax to School Maine.
8
deadly diseases that threaten children’s health.
High community immunity is created in schools and public spaces when children are immunized at high enough levels to prevent the spread of diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chicken pox, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
Covid-19 vaccines are currently not required by law for eligible children. Maine Families for Vaccines encourages parents to follow guidance from pediatricians.
