[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HEALTH PROTECTIONS FOR OUR SERVICE PERSONNEL

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2004

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, today the gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. 
Shays and I have joined to introduce H.R. 5166, The Armed Forces 
Voluntary Immunization and Health Justice Act of 2004.
  In the 104th Congress, Mr. Shays and I joined in holding several 
oversight hearings on the cases of Persian Gulf Syndrome that were 
affecting our military men and women returning from the first Persian 
Gulf War. Those hearings served as the impetus for causing the 
Department of Defense to seriously re-examine and re-vamp its system of 
diagnosis, treatment and compensation for Persian Gulf War veterans. I 
know that the work we did on that issue made a difference in the lives 
of those service members who agreed to risk their lives for us.
  However, our concerns about the health of veterans and active duty 
military members did not end with those hearings. We have worked 
together to craft a bi-partisan solution to provide members of the 
military with the ability to make informed decisions about immunization 
for anthrax and smallpox. The right to informed consent is enjoyed by 
every citizen, except those in the military. If enacted, this bill 
would prohibit the Department of Defense from mandating immunization 
against anthrax and/or smallpox if a soldier believes that the risk to 
his or her health status outweighs the benefit of immunization.
  Service members have experienced adverse health effects from these 
vaccines including heart, respiratory, and skin problems. In one well-
known case, a soldier died from the adverse effects of a vaccine. 
Despite the known risks, many soldiers have been required to take these 
vaccines. As a result, many have decided to leave the service rather 
than run the risk of vaccination. Unfortunately, many honorable 
soldiers have been punished solely for refusing to accept these 
vaccines. Our legislation would assure that soldiers who want to serve 
are not faced with this agonizing choice.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill and join us 
in assuring that members of our military have the ability to determine 
whether or not to take these vaccines.

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