3/29/06
Update: AB-527 (Medical Exemption to the Rabies
Vaccine) is being signed
by Governor Doyle Tomorrow (Thursday) the 30th of March….
Once signed it should go into
affect within a couple days after it’s published.
2/23/06 Update:
The senate voted for concurrence today and it is now on
to the Governor for his signature…..
Wisconsin:
Public Hearing in the Senate
A Tentative Date and time
have been set for the Public Hearing on AB527 - Allowing
medical exemptions from the mandatory rabies vaccine.
Date: Thursday - February
16, 2006 time 1st on the agenda (10:00 a.m.)
Wisconsin:
History
of Assembly Bill 527 Wisconsin’s Medical Exemption
Bill for Rabies is on the Assembly Calendar for a full Assembly
vote on November 8, 2005
October 2005 - - PET
VACCINATION An Institutionalised Crime by Catherine O'Driscoll
October 24, 2005 McCall.com - - Changing
state veterinary rules long process
October 22, 2005 McCall.com - - Dog's
Death turned owner inito activist
October 12, 2005 Lincoln County Weekly
- - Rabies Challenge kicks off fundraiser
September
21, 2005 The Lincoln County News - - Nationwide Campaign Launched to Fund Rabies Vaccine
Study
September 19, 2005 Newsday - - Challenging
the rabies vaccine
September
19, 2005 MaineToday - - A
Dog's Life
August 16, 2005 Smart Money - - 10
Things Your Veterinarian Won't Tell You
July 25, 2005 MaineToday - - "Vaccines-be
your pets advocate!!!"
July
18, 2005 MSNBC - - "Still
vaccinating your pet every year? That may not be
necessary
and could even cause harm"
July 18, 2005 NBC News - - "Pet Vaccines
Could Turn Deadly"
July
18, 2005 Newsday - - "Should vets warn about vaccines?"
UK Veterinary Record: Serum antibody
titres to canine parvovirus, adenovirus and distemper
virus
in
dogs
in the UK which
had not been vaccinated for at least three years
June
12, 2005 - - Concord Monitor Online: "Necessary or
not? Some veterinarians and pet owners are questioning
vaccinations"
June 3, 2005 - - Letter
from Maine's Committee on Agriculture, Conservation
and
Forestry to the Maine Veterinary Medical Association advising
them that, "[w]e strongly encourage Maine
veterinarians to inform pet owners of the recommended
interval for administering a vaccine and potential
risks associated with that vaccine."
Animal
Wellness Magazine - a 3 part article (linked with
permission)
"Vaccination:
Which ones do they REALLY NEED, and HOW OFTEN?"
Petition
for Pennsylvania
May
30, 2005 - - NBC (SC) Veterinarian
warns over-vaccination can harm pets
May 18, 2005
- - NBC 7 (Boston) Special Report: "Pet
Threat"
Prevention
Magazine - - "Are Annual Pet Vaccines Necessary?"
May 17, 2005
- - NBC San Diego "Can
Vaccinating Pets Make Them Sick?"
May 11, 2005
- - A Dogs Life (MaineToday.com) "No
vaccines for us this year"
May 9, 2005
- - Newsday.com "Vaccination
often good for life"
May 4, 2005
- - NBC 4 "Vaccinating
Pets Could Do More Harm Than Good"
May 2005
- - Prevention.com "Are
Annual Pet Vaccines Necessary?"
April 29,
2005 - - NBC17 "Expert:
Some Pet Vaccines Unnecessary"
April 13,
2005 - - Bangor Daily News "Vets
held responsible for vaccine disclosure "
March
2005 - - Conscious
Choice "Suspicious
Shots"
March
21, 2005 - - AB263
is currently pending in Nevada (contact Abigail Richlin-Schwartz
at gold.eagle@cox.net).
________________________________
April 8, 2005
Update: I spoke with the clerk of the Ag. Committee yesterday
and she said that LD 429 WILL be going to the full Legislature
for a vote because in order for a bill to die in Committee,
it must be a unanimous vote. Fortunately, Rep. Twomey voted
"ought to pass", which guarantees the bill will
go before the entire Legislature -- so people still should
be lobbying their legislators to vote for it!
April 7, 2005
Update: Vaccine
disclosure bill rejected by committee ".......But
before the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
voted down the bill, legislators agreed to ask the Maine
Veterinary Medical Association to report back before next
January's session begins. Legislators said they want to
know whether veterinarians are voluntarily giving consumers
information on vaccines. If that isn't happening, several
said the issue may be revisited......"
From
Kris: "I came home feeling exhausted and
deflated until I was reassured by somebody with years of
legislative experience that this was actually a victory.
Their interpretation was that the committee vote meant that
the committee did want disclosure, but that they would give
veterinarians the opportunity to follow through on their
own first, and that if they didn't, then the committee could
pass the bill next session."
From
Kris Christine:
Important vaccine
legislation is pending in Maine which is the FIRST IN THE
NATION and will require veterinarians to provide vaccine
disclosure forms to pet owners BEFORE they vaccinate their
animals.
The bill,
LD 429, "An Act to Require Veterinarians to Provide
Vaccine Disclosure Forms" (http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/billtexts/LD042901-1.asp)
was filed on my behalf by Representative Peter Rines of
Wiscasset. This bill is vigorously opposed by the Maine
Veterinary Medical Association, a number of whose members
testified against passage at the public hearing on Thursday,
February 28th.
If this legislation
passes, it is only a matter of time before other states
follow suit. Already pet owners in CT, PA, FL, NV, MO, MN
and TX have contacted me saying they are going to ask their
legislators to file similar bills.
If you support
this bill and wish to help in the effort to get it passed
(even if you're from out of state), please send the sponsors
and committee members, whose e-mail addresses are listed
below, an e-mail telling them that you support LD429, "An
Act to Require Veterinarians to Provide Vaccine Disclosure
Forms." This small amount of effort will make an enormous
difference (please ask any of your friends or acquaintances
to do the same). You can cut and paste the e-mails below
into your recipient line and if you put something like "I
Support LD429 Vaccine Disclosure" for the subject line,
they'll know what it's about.
Even
if you are from out of state, please send in an e-mail to
the legislators below, it will help!!!
Pet
owners have been in the dark far too long when it comes
to the potent veterinary vaccines given to their animals,
please take action to make sure this precedent-setting
legislation passes -- companion animals everywhere will
benefit.
For more information
on who I am and this legislation, please click on the
links below. At the bottom of the page is the testimony
I presented to the Agriculture Committee on February 28th.
Regards, Kris Christine
