What will the governor do? A pitch to make politics (and public health) local again

Children who are not vaccinated are more likely to get diseases like measles and whooping cough, the CDC points out on its website. Outbreaks of these diseases have occurred recently, especially in communities with low vaccination rates. (Getty Images)

When former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neal coined the phrase “All politics is local,” the political landscape seemed much more orderly. Predictable. Back then, Americans were more likely to vote based on issues that directly affected them — their family, neighborhood, community.

Now, of course, the world is very different. There are 24/7 news sources and political commentary, political action committees, and lobbyists from political think tanks spending more time in our state’s capitol than most West Virginians. Where there was once a semblance of order is now chaos by design.

And what’s best for small rural communities in places like West Virginia is rarely high on the agendas of those creating the narrative that speaks constantly to us on our televisions, computers, and phones.

At this moment, Gov. Jim Justice has House Bill 5105 sitting on his desk, and the clock is ticking for him to act. Will he sign, veto or let the bill become law without his signature?

House Bill 5105 allows virtual public school students to be exempt from school immunization requirements, except if participating in Southern States Athletic Conference-sponsored athletics, and for private and parochial schools to institute their own policies, either exempting students or not.

West Virginia currently has one of the highest child vaccination rates in the country, and the main reason is that we are one of a handful of states with a school vaccination requirement that does not allow exceptions. The main benefit of this high vaccination rate is called herd immunity. If enough members of a “herd” are immunized, it protects the entire herd, whether vaccinated or not.

The child vaccination requirement helps us reach herd immunity levels. If we fall below this herd immunity threshold, we open up our state — every family, neighborhood, community — to the potential health and economic costs of diseases like measles, mumps, whooping cough and chickenpox.

For example, while every state bordering West Virginia has had cases of measles in the past few years, West Virginia’s last reported case of measles was in 2009 , according to state officials.

I’ve been a kids’ health advocate in our state for more than 20 years now, and I’ve seen plenty of bills introduced like HB 5105, but never seen them make it to the governor’s desk.

So why now?

According to a poll conducted by Politico and Morning Consult last fall, Republican voters are less likely than Democrats or Independents to say that vaccines are safe for children, and as many Republicans are concerned about the risk of vaccines as they are about the health benefits.

Clearly, on the national level, there’s a growing distrust of public health and the rising anti-vax movement has found its footing in our state.

During a debate over HB 5105, the bill’s lead sponsor, Del. Laura Kimble, said :

“We live in the United States of America. We have rights. We have the constitution… We acknowledge that we’re guaranteed the right to religious liberty, yet our West Virginia government has attempted to infringe on this right.”

She and a handful of other legislators approach this issue from a philosophical vantage point that resonates with some constituents and many of those continuously talking heads on social media. But none of them acknowledge the very real and dangerous consequences if this bill becomes law.

For many of us working in public health, health care, and public education, we know what will happen if the vaccination requirement is repealed. Disease will increase. Medically underserved areas will struggle the hardest. Workforce issues will worsen. Illnesses will close our public schools more often. Our older health care professionals and school personnel will be more susceptible to many of these diseases, as will kids too young to be vaccinated and those who are immunocompromised.

I think of the needless harm and chaos we could potentially be in for, and I know I’m not alone.

Sen. Mike Maroney, a physician and Chair of the Senate Health and Human Resources, was clearly pressured by his party to put the bill on his committee’s agenda. But he didn’t vote for it. He said :

“It’s a bad bill for West Virginia, it’s a step backward. There’s no question, no question there will be negative effects… It’s an embarrassment for me to be a part of it, it should be an embarrassment to everybody.”

What a strange world we live in where our community’s medical experts who only want to protect our people take a back seat to political ideology. I would say it was silly if it weren’t so sad.

Now, I wonder what Gov. Justice will do. Will he choose ideological autonomy and dismantle our vaccine firewall, or will he consider the potential harm it will cause to families, neighborhoods, and communities? Will he think local, or is he worried that such a decision will have political consequences in his quest for Sen. Joe Manchin’s office?

Maybe bucking his party’s position on this issue will resonate with West Virginians. Maybe we’re ready to embrace again those maverick politicians who aren’t as much about toeing the line for political operatives in other places as they are about caring for their constituents here at home.

I remember those days during COVID-19 when the governor read the names of every West Virginian who died of the disease, many of whom would have survived with a vaccination. Maybe that still means something to him, and he’ll veto this bill.

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