But more people would get their children inoculated if they could avoid only particular shots, said state Rep. Rick Green, R-Dripping Springs. HB 1702 was approved by the Public Health Committee just last week and has not been heard on the House floor. The session ends May 28. Dr. Jane Siegel, pediatrics professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, declined to comment on Green's bill but said opting out of any vaccination could be risky. We know that if we stop immunizing, we'll start seeing diseases again.
Vaccines are safe.
The average immunization rate for Texas is 74.7 percent, and the national average is 80 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The bill would require parents seeking an exemption to talk to a doctor about the health risks of not vaccinating their children, sign a Texas Department of Health form and then have it notarized. Schools would keep the forms on file. The mainstays aren't really the issue. It's the new ones coming down the pike.