Timing is everything. And some ideas are bad no matter when they are formulated.

Both maxims apply to a bill proposed by state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe. House Bill 286 aims to stop denial of medical care for children whose parents decline or delay vaccinations.

It would prohibit pediatricians from denying care and “other forms of discrimination,” such as harassment or scolding, against patients and parents who opt out of or alter a vaccination schedule.

The issue with the bill is not that it stops doctors from refusing to treat people who won’t get vaccinated, but that it lends credence to parents choosing not to immunize their children — which is dangerous.

The bill’s timing is even worse considering the recent national outbreak of measles, which is highly contagious, but preventable by vaccine. On Tuesday, the first case was reported in Allegheny County and health officials strongly encouraged unvaccinated residents who have not had measles previously to get checked.

In an ideal world, everyone would get a vaccine and, therefore, the spread of diseases such as measles would be easier to prevent.

However, we recognize that there are some people who cannot be vaccinated — for example, pregnant women or people with a history of the rare Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) might be advised by their doctors not to get the flu vaccine, while children who have extreme allergic reactions after one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine could be discouraged from receiving the second shot.

Current state law says that doctors should not discharge patients without adequate warning, but it doesn’t address doctors who refuse to treat unvaccinated patients. While it wouldn’t be ethical for doctors to refuse treatment to persons who have not been vaccinated, it’s not unreasonable for doctors to limit those patients to certain days and times.

For example, if a doctor is treating infants who have not been given all of their vaccinations on a specific day of the week, it makes sense that they wouldn’t want unvaccinated people possibly bringing dangerous viruses into their office on those days.

And although there are some exemptions for religious or medical reasons, state law requires children to be vaccinated before they attend school. There’s a reason for that.

Refusing to get your children vaccinated if there is no good reason not to do so is irresponsible. It’s a danger to your child and others.

Metcalfe had some valid points when he announced his bill. He blasted doctors receiving kickbacks from insurance companies in exchange for the number of vaccinations they administer. He also said his bill was not meant to address the value of vaccines.

But then he compared rules about getting children vaccinated to living in “Communist Russia” and compared the rate of people contracting measles to the high number of people killed in car accidents.

State Rep. David Frankel, who opposes Metcalfe’s bill, pointed out that there have been 13 outbreaks of measles nationwide this year that have affected more than 700 individuals, of whom more than 500 were not vaccinated.

“These outbreaks are occurring not because the disease changed or mutated, but because people chose to forgo safe, effective vaccinations, putting themselves or their children at risk,” Frankel said.

Exactly.

While one can’t argue with Metcalfe that people shouldn’t be refused treatment, he’d better serve his constituents by pushing for more people to get vaccinated.

— NCD