Child Vaccination

Adopted kids must  receive public health vaccinations, which all responsible parents agree is essential.  But the law also required vaccination before entering the US -- which meant families were denied medical care from professionals they trust.

These can be life-and-death questions.  As I said during House floor debate, "The only issue was whether adoptive parents could choose to have these procedures conducted near to home, rather than from a stranger in a poor, distant nation, where their child may be at risk from adverse reactions, from unsterile needles and syringes, and vaccines that are ineffective or unsafe."

Working closely with a bipartisan congressional coalition, and a remarkable national network of adoptive families, we were able to repeal the offending statute.  Days after President Clinton signed our bill into law, new instructions were cabled to 178 US Embassies around the world.