A woman in Maple Ridge has relaunched an online petition to make measles vaccinations mandatory for all children going to public school.
It comes after two cases of measles were identified in the Lower Mainland over the past week – one caught abroad, the other locally.
Vancouver health officials have since identified eight cases of the measles in the city.
“I’m not trying to get nurses to come to your door, pin people down and shove a needle in their arm,” said Katie Clunn, who created the petition on Change.org.
“People should have a choice, but there needs to be consequences for those people because of their choices.”
Clunn is a mother of two, with a third child on the way.
She had her first child at 22, and said people told her of their own fears about vaccines, including fears of developing autism. Clunn, however, said she has always been pro-vaccination.
“As I’ve gotten older, my perspective has changed. It’s changed from ‘It’s their body, it’s their life’ to ‘It’s not your body, your life’ when your choices affect someone else,” she told CTV News from her home in Maple Ridge.
Clunn compared her stance on vaccination to drunk driving laws.
“Drivers can choose to drink and drive, but they have to live with the consequences of hitting someone,” said Clunn.
Clunn said she started the petition several years ago, but it did not garner much attention, gaining only 100 signatures.
Now, her Change.org petition now has more than 18,000 signatures - already passing the initial goal of 2,500.
As far as next steps, Clunn said she plans to leave the petition up online and update the signatory goal. Each time it hits the mark, an email is sent to Premier John Horgan.
“I’m looking forward to hearing from him soon,” Clunn laughed.
