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URGENT ALERT TEXAS: REPRESENTATIVE CAPELO TRYING TO REPEAL NEW IMMUNIZATION CONSCIENTIOUS EXEMPTION LAW DURING SPECIAL SESSIONOppose HB 89: STOP REPEAL OF NEW IMMUNIZATION CONSCIENTIOUS EXEMPTION LAWATTENTION: House Public Health Committee Hearing Thursday 7/10/03 at 8:00 a.m. in E2.036 Capitol Extension* Calls, faxes and emails immediately needed to oppose HB 89 * Attendance and testimony needed in Austin at Public Hearing on Thursday 7/10/03 Dear PROVE Texas members, Just when parents in Texas concerned about vaccine safety and informed consent issues have begun a collective sigh of relief and gratitude, one Texas representative is using the special session of the Texas legislature to attempt to repeal the recently passed conscientious belief exemption in HB 2292 before parents even get to use it. HB 89 would, in effect, regress vaccine exemption language back to the old overly restrictive, discriminatory, and unconstitutional religious exemption. If HB 89 is allowed to pass, parents in Texas would have a mere two months of legal protection to obey their conscience and follow personally held religious beliefs regarding vaccination, only to have their rights ripped away from them again on November 1st. This will be devastating for families trying to protect their children from vaccine reactions. If you can arrange to be at the hearing Thursday morning July 10th at 8:00 a.m., in the Capitol Extension Hearing Room E2.036, it is so important that the committee see and hear many families opposed to this setback to parental rights. Please send me an email note letting me know that we can count on you to be there. Whether you can be there or not, it is especially important that everybody immediately contact Governor Perry, House Speaker Tom Craddick, members of the House Public Health Committee, your own state Representative and Senator, and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst to oppose HB 89 and to share with them your frustration over this. Some doctors and pro-forced immunization groups have been exploiting the sad and unfortunate experience of one central Texas family whose baby died from pertussis. Some doctors have been soliciting unfounded inaccurate negative publicity about the new law. It is extremely important that you, in your communications with legislators, share your family experiences with vaccine reactions, and harassment and discrimination for trying to exercise your right as a parent to be in control over what vaccine risks your child will take in the future. All children are important whether they are hurt by a vaccine or a disease, and all parents deserve basic human right to informed consent to a medical procedure that caries the risk of injury or death for their child period. 1) CONTACT LEGISLATURE CALL, EMAIL, AND FAX YOUR OWN STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORTo see who represents you, link to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm . Then link to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us and click on House Members and Senate Members. Contact phone, fax, and email forms can be found on your Representative's web site linked under contact info. CALL GOVERNOR, SPEAKER, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS: FAX GOVERNOR, SPEAKER, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS: * For any House faxes that do not work, use (512) 463-5896. EMAIL GOVERNOR, SPEAKER, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS: On all calls, please be polite, and respectful. Introduce yourself and say where you live. ASK FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO CALL, FAX AND EMAIL 2) COME TESTIFY IN PERSON at the House Public Hearing of the Committee on Public Health against HB 89 by Representative Jaime Capelo.Thursday, 7/10/03 8:00 a.m. in the Capitol Extension E2.036 Texas State Capitol, at 12th Street and Congress Ave., Austin Texas You are needed to defend important parental rights and prevent them from being taken away. When you get to the Hearing Room, pick up a Witness Affirmation Form and fill it out against HB 89. Make sure you sign the form. Find a committee clerk to give the form to. Even though HB 89 is scheduled first on the agenda, you need to know that there is a possibility they may not get to HB 89 before the House convenes and goes into session for 10 a.m. If that is the case, the committee will reconvene shortly after the House adjourns, but hopefully it will be heard first and you will be done in the morning. The committee will call on you when it is your turn to give your testimony. Keep your statement short making sure to explain why this is important to your family. GENERAL INFORMATION: Parking is available in the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage located between Trinity and San Jacinto Streets. Parking is free for the first two hours and $.75 for each half hour thereafter (maximum charge: $6.00). Metered spaces are available throughout the complex. Directions to visitor parking garage: From IH-35 in Austin, take the 15th Street Exit heading west toward the Capitol. A few blocks down, take a left onto San Jacinto. The entrance to the Capitol visitor parking garage is a couple of blocks down on your left on the intersection 13th Street and San Jacinto. The entrance in on 13th Street. The Capitol grounds are just 1 1/2 blocks due west from the front of the garage. (just look up and walk towards the dome of the capitol.) When you get inside, because it will depend on which door you go in, ask the security guards for the stairs or elevators to get to the Capitol Extension hearing room E2.036. There is a cafeteria available in the Capitol Extension on floor E1. SUGGESTIONS FOR EMAILS, FAXES AND TESTIMONY [YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS] [DATE] The Honorable Representative [LEGISLATOR'S NAME] P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768-2910 or The Honorable Senator [LEGISLATOR'S NAME] P.O. 12068 Austin, TX 78768-2068 Dear [LEGISLATOR'S NAME], Please oppose HB 89 by Representative Capelo. [PERSONALIZED BODY - THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS KEEP THE TOTAL LETTER LENGTH TO ONE PAGE OR LESS TO MAKE SURE IT IS READ - THAT WILL ALSO KEEP YOUR TESTIMONY TO 3 MINUTES IN CASE TIME LIMITS ARE IMPOSED.] Sincerely, [YOUR NAME AND CREDENTIALS] If you would like to read the bill for yourself, you can link to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us and enter HB 89 and click on the bill text selections. If you are new to this issue and don't fully understand why killing this bill and keeping our newly acquired conscientious exemption is so important, please visit http://www.vaccineinfo.net and http://www.nvic.org. Thank you for your help! Sincerely, Dawn Richardson, |
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