The Senate Education Committee failed to bring a House bill out of committee and on to the Senate floor on Tuesday related to vaccine rules.

Oxford’s Gray Tollison, chairman of the committee, said he listened to both sides of the issue and it was the doctors and state health officials that persuaded him that House Bill 938 did not need to become law.

The proposal would have expanded medical exemptions for parents who do not want their child vaccinated. The proposal would have taken final authority for vaccination exemptions away from the state health department and allowed out-of-state doctors to also weigh in and say a child did not need to be vaccinated.

A lot of people believe vaccination laws in Mississippi, which are the strictest in the nation, need to be relaxed. While some claim state health officials fought the bill because they want Mississippi to be known for being top in the nation for vaccinations, we believe they have the health of children and all residents in mind.

Health officials on down to civic clubs like Rotary have worked hard to eradicate  diseases like measles, polio and others that have serious, long-term health consequences. Let’s not undo the progress the United States has made and risk outbreaks. Even though we may not want to or don’t listen to doctors, they have more training and expertise than us.