Lessons from the Front Line: Advocating for Vaccine Policies at the Texas Capitol During Turbulent Times

Abstract

In 2003, anti-vaccine activists successfully advocated to change Texas law to make it easier for parents to send their children to public school without school required vaccinations. Over fifteen years ago, 2,314 non medical exemptions were filed. The Texas Department of State Health Services recently reported in the 2018-19 school year, 64,176 exemptions were submitted. As the number of non-medical exemptions increase, the risk for a vaccine preventable outbreak also increases. Enacting strong immunization laws and policies, which includes improving access to vaccination, increasing education, and enhancing data collection, is cyclical. In the past ten years, over 17 pieces of pro-immunization legislation were turned into law. However, the three recent legislative cycles (84th, 85th, and 86th Legislative sessions) have not resulted in meaningful change to address the rising tide of exemptions. Almost two decades later, immunizations have become one of the Texas Legislature’s most hotly debated and controversial issues. The sensitive political climate within the Texas Legislature and the Texas anti-vaccine movement, one of the nation’s most organized and well financed, is putting the state’s public health security in peril. This paper examines the origins and political tactics employed by the anti-vaccine movement and lessons learned from twenty years of advocating for public health and passing pro-immunization legislation. Up until recently, vaccine limiting legislation was practically non- existent. The authors will discuss clear strategies for scientists, advocates, parents, and others who want strong vaccine policies to protect and achieve high immunization coverage rates. As anti-vaccine activism grows elsewhere, advocates and parents can learn from their counterparts in Texas. In turn, the Texas story clearly demonstrates the need for new ideas and fresh perspectives in the ongoing struggle to stop the reemergence of vaccine preventable diseases through misinformation and the attempts to politicize public health.

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