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Iowa lawmakers reject anti-vaccine proposals

Dr. Orin Levine: Vaccinations are a collective responsibility
Dr. Orin Levine talks importance of vaccination as measles outbreak continues to spread 07:24

A bill that would have prohibited health care providers and insurance companies from discriminating against people who refuse immunizations has failed to advance to an Iowa State Senate committee.

A Human Resources subcommittee on Tuesday voted against advancing the bill that would have created the Vaccination Safety and Right of Refusal Act.

Republican state Sen. Thomas Greene, a retired Burlington pharmacist, voted with a Democrat to kill the bill.

The subcommittee also declined to forward a bill that created a philosophical exemption from vaccinations for children enrolling in schools or child care centers.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says that with outbreaks of measles and other diseases resurfacing, she thinks vaccinations are important. She says existing medical and religious exemptions already address some of the concerns voiced by anti-vaccine proponents.

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