Sauk Co. Health Board passes vaccination resolution

A contentious issue in Sauk County Tuesday evening, as the Health Board voted to pass along a resolution removing the personal conviction wavier for vaccinations.

Right now, Wisconsin law allows for three exceptions to child vaccinations: religious, medical and personal.

Tuesday’s resolution looks to remove the personal reasons from that list. The board voted to pass it 4-1.

“I think I would ask that you folks would also understand the difficulty is to this board, when we have to look at the trending data, and the trends of a community immunity right now are trending in the wrong direction,” said a board member Tuesday evening.

While the board passed the resolution, more than 100 people showed up to the meeting pushing back at the recommendation. They say parents should be able to decide whether their kids receive certain shots.

Some people say it is a stereotype that people opposing the resolution do not vaccinate their kids at all, but instead they evaluate each child individually.

“Whether I choose to vaccinate, or whether I choose not to vaccinate, I should retain those controls. We have people that are fighting alongside us that do vaccinate. They may pick and choose certain vaccines, they might just opt out of the Hepatitis B vaccine. But they recognize that this is about choice,” says Jamie Bernander, a mother and representative with Wisconsin United for Freedom.

Right now, legislation is in the works to make this a statewide requirement, but so far it has not been passed.

Tuesday’s recommendation from the Sauk County Board of Health will now move on to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors.