Oregon legislators will again be considering this session what to do about the state’s requirements for vaccinating school children.

Oregon’s rules are somewhat flexible. “Shots are required by law for children in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, child care facilities and Head Start programs…,” as the Oregon Health Authority says. “Nearly every place that provides care for a child outside the home requires shots….”

There are medical exemptions, of course. That’s not going away.

In Oregon there are also nonmedical exemptions. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported in January that 45 states and Washington D.C. grant religious exemptions for immunizations. Another 15 states are similar to Oregon and also allow exemptions for children — for parents who object to immunizations “because of personal, moral or other beliefs.”

Senate Bill 254 would remove the ability of a parent to decline required vaccinations for school unless the child has a medical condition. Nonmedical exemptions would be gone. And parents who did not want their children to be vaccinated would basically be stuck with homeschooling. Their children also would not be able to participate in other school activities.

Some parents are skeptical, at the very least, about vaccinations. A few K-12 schools in Bend have less than 80% of students fully vaccinated, according to The Oregon Health Authority.

Vaccinations do pinch. They can have side effects. Some people incorrectly believe they cause autism. The evidence is actually overwhelming that they are safe and they work.

Some parents are also fundamentally opposed to the idea that Oregon would withhold some education services from children if parents don’t cede control of what is injected into them.

Former state Rep. Cheri Helt, R-Bend, fought for a change similar to S.B. 254. State Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, opposed a similar change because he believed it usurped parental rights. No legislator’s name is currently listed as a sponsor of the current bill. It’s another example of the lack of accountability in the Legislature.

Should Oregon make a change in its law for school vaccinations? Tell your legislator what you think or send us a letter to the editor at letters@bendbulletin.com.