- Vaccine Exemption Rights Threatened - Amendment of the Ontario Immunization of School Pupils Act
- Vaccine Choice Canada at the Total Health Show – April 21-23, Toronto Convention Centre
Remembering Joshua Kuntz
It is with great sadness that we let you know about the passing of Joshua Kuntz, the son of our Vice-President, Ted.
Joshua Anthony Kuntz July 25, 1984 - February 16, 2017
http://www.lifenews.ca/announcement/7150281-kuntz-joshua-anthony Joshua Kuntz was a gentle soul that touched many hearts during his
thirty-two years. In his soft and quiet way he engaged people with the
sparkle in his eyes, his radiant smile, and his invitation to hold
hands. Josh lived with significant challenges due to an uncontrolled
seizure disorder that began with his vaccine shot at five months of age.
In spite of his health challenges and physical limitations, Josh
enriched the lives of many with his courageous way of being in the
world.
Ted spoke at a recent Partners for Planning event at The Art of Belonging
in Toronto. His talk, "How Disability Saved the World", is a wonderful
tribute to Josh. You can view the 18 minute video here. In case you missed Ted’s article published in the Narrative Inquiry in
Bioethics titled, First Do No Harm, about Joshua, you can read it here. In honour of Josh Kuntz, The Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge
(IPAK) has announced the creation of the ‘Integrity in Vaccine Science
and Medicine Fellowship’. This is an award to encourage and reward
integrity in vaccine science and medicine. The Vaccine Safety Science and Science Integrity Conference is taking place in Pittsburgh, PA June 15-17, 2017 To apply for the award or to donate please
visit the IPAK website. Ted and family, we are all so very sorry for your loss.
Vaccine Exemption Rights Threatened
As many of you already know, the Ontario government is in the process of
amending the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) for the specific
purpose of targeting non-vaccinating families and to narrow parents’
access to vaccine exemptions. The amendment will also require medical
personnel to submit children’s vaccine records to public health
officials, a violation of medical privacy rights. The ISPA amendment is
listed as Schedule 1 of Bill 87, the Protecting Patients Act 2016, an omnibus bill which also contains four other legislative
amendments unrelated to vaccine exemptions. As expected, the 2nd reading of Bill 87 (including "education session"
amendments to the ISPA) has passed in the Ontario legislature 52 yes 44
no, and has now gone to a legislative committee that will hear
submissions from the public. Members of Vaccine Choice Canada plan on
making both oral and written submissions voicing our opposition to the
proposed changes to ISPA which we have articulated in our Summary of Concerns document. These submissions
will become part of the legislative and historic record of growing
public alarm over government abuse of our informed consent rights and
medical privacy laws. Heather Fraser's submission to the Committee on April 12, 2017 can be read here. Since 1984, ISPA has provided parents in Ontario with the legal right to
exempt their school age children from any or all vaccines for reasons
of conscience or religion. Once Bill 87 passes 3rd reading and the
amendments to ISPA become law, no matter how well educated parents
already are on the pros and cons of vaccination, they will be forced to
complete an “immunization education session”, prior to being allowed to
file a conscience or religious based vaccine exemption for their
children. At this point in time, no one knows the content of these
“education sessions” or how they will be conducted or the kind of
coercion parents will face. The second aspect of the ISPA amendment that raises serious concerns is
that doctors, nurses and other vaccine providers will be required to
provide the medical officer of health (public health official) with the
vaccine records of every child they have vaccinated. Disclosure of
patients’ medical records without the patient’s knowledge or consent is a
serious breech of medical records privacy laws and must be contested.
In Ontario PHIPA, the Personal Health Information Protection Act is the legal instrument that
protects people’s right to privacy of their medical records. As
explained in this summary document patients have the right to “refuse or give consent to the collection,
use or disclosure of your personal health information”, except in
certain circumstances such as emergencies. You have the right to make a voluntary and informed decision about
medical treatments that carry a risk of injury or death. This includes
vaccination. Your right to decide is protected by Canadian Medical Law
and Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act, which uphold the right to
Informed Consent. The supreme law of the land is the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms which protects your right to “freedom of conscience
and religion” and your right to “security of the person”. Your body.
Your health. Your Right! Now is the time to speak up for our most basic human right - the right to
say NO to unwanted medical treatments like vaccination. Now is the time
to take a stand to protect the right to make voluntary and informed
vaccine choices for you and your children. Now is the time to reject
this overt move toward mandatory vaccination laws. We urge you to make
your voices heard! We encourage you to present an oral or written submission to the
legislative committee. Information on how to register to present your
statement is provided at this link.
Total Health Show – April 21-23 – Toronto Convention Centre
Vaccine Choice Canada will be at the Total Health Show again this year
at booth # 334. We’ll have books and DVDs and other reprinted
information to share with you. We invite you to come and chat with our
volunteers who look forward to meeting you and sharing with you the
latest news in “vax world”. Vaccine Choice Canada is proud to announce
that Heather Fraser, author of The Peanut Allergy Epidemic will be a
speaker at the Show this year. Heather will be speaking at 5pm on Sunday,
April 23 about the link between vaccines and life-threatening allergies
and how the Ontario legislative amendment to ISPA threatens our health freedom
and informed consent rights.
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A reminder to our subscribers - we post the top vaccine related news
items from at home and abroad daily on our Facebook page. It is the best
place to go for up to the minute breaking news at: www.facebook.com/VaccineChoiceCanada/
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