Another campaign promise made by Malachi Stevens has returned to the center of the national spotlight, this time a promise to make vaccinations mandatory for Kannapian minors. The law, originally proposed by members of the Representation Assembly working closely with the President's office, was passed this morning by a vote in both houses of the legislative assembly. The bill, titled The Health Rights and Protections of Minors Act, was passed to the approval and disapproval of advocacy groups and organizations across the nation.
Benjamin Veritas, Director of the National Catholic School Network, spoke vocally on the issue during the voting process and issued a statement following the results of the vote. "This is a complete rejection of the rights of both parents and their children by the Federal government. It has been a long-standing right of Kannapian citizens to abstain from vaccinations or other forms of modern medicine of their choosing. This will be a harsh rejection of core beliefs for some Kannapians and the government turning their backs to this population of citizens is a grave injustice. The National Catholic School Network, along with other organizations that oppose the passage of this vaccination law, will be filing a lawsuit together against the federal government to seek a reversal of this law."
President Malachi Stevens also issued a statement for the nation, "The fact that our wonderful legislature has finally taken into their own hands the rights of children and minors in terms of vaccinations is a great thing. The entire Kannapian population will benefit from this new law and accompanying education programs. The education programs will ensure that minors and parents alike are educated on the importance of vaccines and their role in protecting our citizens and nation. The vaccinations will be provided free-of-charge for all citizens at locations provided by the Ministry of Health and Human Services."
The Representation Assembly passed the The Health Rights and Protection of Minors Act by a vote of 405-164 and the Council of Governors passed the bill by a vote of 12-3. The vaccination education programs will start being offered, not mandatory, for citizens of all ages on January 1, 2019. The mandatory vaccinations will start being administered beginning April 21, 2019. Vaccinations will only be mandatory for minors from birth to age 16, according to the Ministry of Health and Human Service's vaccination schedule. At age 16, minors are legally defined as old enough to determine whether they want to continue receiving vaccinations or not.
