In spite of the campaign signs, Question 1 on the ballot March 3 has nothing to do with Big Pharma. Passage of Question 1 would allow parents to not vaccinate their children from disease and still send them to public schools.
If it passes, someone in Maine will die. That person could very well be my wife. She is a transplant recipient and takes anti-rejection drugs daily. These drugs lower her immune system, making it much easier to catch diseases, even those to which she has been vaccinated. For example she develops shingles and pneumonia several times a year, in spite of being vaccinated for it.
Question 1 increases the possibility that an unvaccinated child could bring measles to school and one of my grandchildren could bring the disease into our house. My wife could then catch measles and die. Anyone who has received a transplant or is undergoing treatment for cancer or HIV can develop measles even if they have been vaccinated, due to their weakened immune system.
The supporters of this question may feel they have the right to not have their child vaccinated and still attend public school, but I have the right to not have my wife die.
Dean Bailey, Auburn
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