Our Views: GOP allies with anti-vaccine extremists on school shots – The Advocate

Sometimes one idiotic comment can explain an hourslong debate in the State Capitol.

That happened Wednesday in a Senate committee meeting, when a House member — chairman of the House’s health committee, no less — stated that the common flu is as deadly as the scourge of COVID-19.

Fortunately, a physician was present and utterly refuted that nonsense from Rep. Larry Bagley, a Republican insurance agent from Stonewall.

The issue was Bagley’s resolution to reverse a rule, established last year by Gov. John Bel Edwards, that coronavirus vaccinations be required for ages 16 and up attending school. This passed the House but was fortunately rejected by the Senate health committee. Still, a 4-3 party line vote is too close.

The Democrats and Edwards are right on this issue. Any parent can now opt out of vaccinations, despite a tangled argument from Attorney General Jeff Landry that the rule could be enforced without permission on Medicaid children.

Not so. Also not credible was testimony of noted national and local vaccine-deniers.

That members of the House fell for the Bagley resolution and passed it is bad enough. The three GOP senators trying to keep it alive — Patrick McMath, of Covington, Beth Mizell, of Franklinton and Bob Hensgens, R-Abbeville — sent an anti-science and anti-medicine political message that appalled medical professionals present.

In fact, those votes ought to appall all of us when infectious diseases are concerned.