Network News – April 29, 2014
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Table of Contents
- Webinar recording of informative presentation by Dr. Dorit Reiss titled “Liability for the Harms of Non-Vaccination: Who Should Pay?” is now available
- Partner announcements, including reminder to urge your members of Congress to attend the May 1 screening of documentary film “Invisible Threat”
Webinar recording of informative presentation by Dr. Dorit Reiss titled “Liability for the Harms of Non-Vaccination: Who Should Pay?” is now available
On April 22, IAC sponsored a webinar for immunization coalition leaders, members, and anyone who collaborates with coalitions that featured Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, PhD, professor of law at the Hastings College of the Law, University of California. Dr. Reiss’s presentation was titled “Liability for the Harms of Non-Vaccination: Who Should Pay?” and is described as follows:
When an intentionally unvaccinated person contracts a vaccine-preventable disease, and even more when they infect someone else, there are physical, emotional, and financial costs. There are at least two potential responsible parties: whoever decided not to vaccinate, and whoever provided the anti-vaccine misinformation. What are the legal options for making these actors pay? This talk provides an overview of the options, and the advantages and challenges of them.
Related Links
- Access complete webinar recording, including slides and audio (sign in required: enter name on Recording Registration screen and click “Submit”)
- Access the slide set (PDF) of Dr. Reiss’s presentation
- Dr. Reiss also kindly shared a document titled Statute: Liability for Failure to Vaccinate
- Every Child By Two’s shotofprevention.com blog has run an excellent five-part series on this topic authored by Dr. Reiss. Here are links to the five articles in the series:
- The Rights of the Unvaccinated Child: The Legal Framework
- The Rights of the Unvaccinated Child: Tort Liability
- Rights of the Unvaccinated Child: Criminal Law
- Rights of the Unvaccinated Child: Vaccinating Over the Parents’ Will
- Rights of the Unvaccinated Child: The Role of School Immunization Requirements
- Two more related posts by Dr. Reiss on the shotofprevention.com blog:
- The Cost of Vaccine Misinformation
- Legal Responsibilities in Choosing Not to Vaccinate
- Part of the presentation related to the potential liability of organizations providing misinformation. For more information about the case of the Australian Vaccination Network which lost its registered charity status and had to change its name to the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, see Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network loses its charity status for fundraising over misinformation claims and Minister welcomes change of name in AVN matter.
Partner announcements, including reminder to urge your members of Congress to attend the May 1 screening of documentary film “Invisible Threat”
The following information was provided by partners in the open announcement portion of the April 22 webinar.
- Trish Parnell, executive director, PKIDs, announced that PKIDs had launched a new immunization campaign aimed at older teens and young adults called Your Choice! Trish requested that partners promote this new campaign and also share related videos.
- Dr. Deborah Wexler, executive director, IAC, reminded participants that Every Child By Two is asking everyone to contact their congressional representatives before May 1 to encourage them to attend the screening of the documentary Invisible Threat. Please take a moment to call your legislators and ask them to attend the film screening and expert panel at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room CVC-268 on May 1 at 10 a.m. (ET). To view the film trailer, visit http://vimeo.com/64521691. The Invisible Threat film focuses on understanding the science of vaccination and the misperceptions leading parents to delay or decline life-saving immunizations. This 40-minute independent documentary, produced by award-winning high school student filmmakers, has earned praise from more than 50 organizations. For more information, please see the April 22 IAC Express article.
- Sara Jaye Sanford, project leader, Immunization Action Coalition of Washington, Within Reach, reminded participants that the National Conference on Immunization and Health Coalitions (NCIHC) will be held in Seattle on May 21–23. Please visit the NCIHC conference website for information about the program agenda, pre-conference workshops, speakers, and registration.
- Samantha Staley, immunization champion, Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County, Pinellas Immunization Team for Community Health (PITCH), said that PITCH had shown “The Invisible Threat” multiple times locally, including in the Pinellas County schools where it will be added to the curriculum. Dr. Litjen (L.J) Tan, chief strategy officer, IAC, added that people interested in getting a copy of the documentary should email him.
- Dr. Tan also invited people to check out the new National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) website at www.izsummitpartners.org. The information and resources available on the website demonstrate that NAIIS is more than an annual meeting. People who are interested in learning more about or becoming active in NAIIS (receiving email updates, attending the national meeting, participating in conference calls, being a member of a workgroup), should email Dr. Tan.