Virginians are being asked whether to change the Virginia regulations on immunizations for children. Here are my comments:

1) The right to medical exemptions must be maintained. My child actually needs this because of several congenital and acquired conditions including brain avm's and aneurysms which would make certain vaccinations extremely dangerous for her. Thousands of others are in the same situation.

2) We must maintain religious exemptions. Once the state over-rides religion, we have crossed the line beyond the concepts this nation was founded on. Practically speaking, the unvaccinated child only needs to accept the risk and is not a risk to others. As much as the contrary was preached during the covid pandemic, in actuality, the vaccinated people with a false sense of security turned out to be great superspreaders as they attended gatherings and events indoors. The vaccine did not protect them as the virus rapidly mutated, and it most certainly did not prevent virus shedding. This is exactly what you find out after the fact when a vaccine is catapulted through the approval process.

3) The covid 19 vaccination should not be required for children under any circumstance as it is still being evaluated for safety and has proven to be not as safe and efficacious as promised. There are not enough published studies to support its use in children. Many studies are now coming to light on the negative effects from the vaccination having to do with autoimmune conditions and coagulation disorders and myocarditis.

4) Children who do not attend Public school should not be required to be vaccinated for the usual childhood immunizations. The state can mandate state-supported schools but beyond that is over- reach. The decision to be vaccinated it between a parent and the child's physician. A cookie cutter approach , while it is efficient, it is not medically appropriate. Every child should not necessarily receive the same list of vaccines on the same time schedule. Every child has different health requirements. Where is the informed consent when Pharmacies are administering vaccines on demand? The physician patient relationship is being completely ignored. In addition, a child should not be allowed to make medical decisions without a parent or guardian's consent. This business of coercing children to get vaccinated is totally unethical. The pressure and mandates have driven a large number of children away from the public school system and in a county such as mine, where there is only one school, every enrolled child is important for their state funding

5) Medical freedom is an important human right. Control of what goes into our bodies should be a personal informed choice, not a state mandated decision. If the state feels compelled to "protect" its schoolchildren with vaccines, then medical and religious exemptions MUST remain in place.