Which Branch of Government is the Most Powerful: Legislative Process
In the United States, there are three main branches of government. The Executive, Judicial and Legislative branch. All three branches have developed a check and balance system to prevent one branch from having more power than the other branches. The Executive branch is responsible for enforcing the law. The Judicial branch is responsible for interpreting laws. Lastly, the Legislative branch is responsible for creating law by writing, debating and passing a law. As nurses, we all want to provide the best possible care to our patients and practice to the best of our abilities. One way we can provide the best possible care is by being knowledgeable about the legislative process and political issues involving healthcare policies. The purpose of this which branch of government is the most powerful essay is to discuss the Legislative process, discuss how the healthcare related political issue of childhood immunization ties with current healthcare legislature, present both sides of the issue; for and against and lastly, give an opinion on the political issue.
Legislative Process
As stated above, the Legislative branch is responsible for creating laws. However, the process is long and tedious. Before a law is created, there is a bill. A bill comes from an idea. This idea is shared and supported by a group of people. If enough people support the idea, it becomes sponsored by a representative of that region. The sponsor takes the idea to Congress and this idea is now known as a bill. This bill will be studied by a committee. The committee will have a hearing whereby they will listen to citizens who are both for and against the proposed bill. The bill goes back to the House of Representatives where they will vote on whether to pass the bill to the Senate. If enough votes to pass the bill are obtained from the representatives the bill moves on to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill is introduced again and assigned to a committee. In the committee, they have debates about the bill and finally they will vote on whether to send the bill to the President. If the bill passes both the House and Senate, it is sent to the President where he has 10 days to sign the bill into law or veto the bill.
Analysis of Healthcare Political Issue
As nurses, we are becoming more involved in the making of healthcare policies by participating in the political process.The purpose of healthcare policies is to improve the overall health of the community. In California and or other states, there has been an ongoing controversy over the safety, effectiveness and morality of childhood immunizations and vaccinations. The sole purpose of vaccinations is to create an environment for children whereby they are free from diseases. Vaccines work with the body’s defense system to reduce the risk of infection. According to the ANA, public health nursing focuses on prevention and supports community and population health. Those who propose or support childhood immunization state that vaccinations are a cost-effective means of public health promotion and disease prevention. The pros of implementing childhood immunization are that it helps prevent disease, disability, and death in both children and adults. Another reason as to why it is beneficial to vaccinate children is that it takes the FDA 10 years to test all vaccines before they are licensed. The vaccines are then monitored by the CDC and the FDA to ensure the ingredients in the vaccine are safe. The CDC utilizes a Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) which collects data from participating sites. The data collected includes the type of vaccine given, date of given vaccination, all medical illnesses that have been diagnosed at ED visits, hospitals stays, doctor’s offices and urgent care visits. Vaccine safety studies are conducted by the VSD based on concerns and questions raised from medical literature. These questions and concerns are reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Proponents believe that vaccines are safe and that current and future generations will be protected from various diseases.
As with every controversy, there is always an opponent side. Vaccine hesitant parents or guardians believe that children’s immune system can fight off most infectious diseases through naturally acquired immunity. They believe that vaccines contain harmful ingredients that cause certain side effects such as seizures, paralysis and death. They argue that studies prove that the ingredients found in vaccines cause diseases such as ADHD, autism and diabetes. Based on research findings, the lack of trust in government is one of the reasons why there is hesitancy towards childhood vaccination. Kareklas, Muehling, and Weber state that the credibility of a source is important when it comes to vaccine related information. Trust in an institution can influence the message delivered by that institution. Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder of National Vaccine Information Center, stated, 'If the State can tag, track down and force citizens against their will to be injected with biological products of known and unknown toxicity today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the State can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow. Opponents believe that medical decisions involving their children should be left to their parents and or their caregivers. Religious factors play an important role in childhood vaccinations. Several religions oppose mandatory vaccinations. In the ruling for Cantwell v. Connecticut, the US Supreme Court held that state and local governments’ infringement upon religious freedom as unconstitutional. Some Christian scientists, Amish communities and the Church of Illumination believe that vaccinations are a form of blood pollution because they will affect the rebirth of their souls.
Current Legislature
The state legislatures play an active and vital role in developing vaccination laws. State legislature establishes vaccination requirements for all children attending school whether public, private and day care centers. In some states, they offer medical, religious and or philosophical exemptions that allow children to not get vaccinated. In California, current law prohibits any school or institution from admitting a student who fails to obtain the required immunizations within the time limit set by the State Department of Public Health. It also exempts those requirements if the parents or guardian have filed a written statement by a licensed physician stating that the effect of the immunization is not safe for that child. The statement should include specific side effects, the duration of said medical condition and their medical history.
California Senate Bill No. 276 was amended, and the new law was filed and approved on September 9th, 2019. It was sponsored and introduced by Dr, Richard Pan, a pediatrician and state senator representing the Sacramento region and Assembly woman Lorena Gonzalez who represents the San Diego area. This new law prevents the inappropriate use of medical exemptions that allow children to skip some or all vaccines. The State Department of Public Health (SDPH) will have full authority over the exemption process. The SDPH will develop a standardized, statewide medical exemption request form. This will be the only documentation that a governing authority can accept. The SDPH will also monitor whether doctors have submitted unusual high numbers of exemptions and conduct annually review immunization reports from schools and institutions to identify schools with an overall immunization rate of less than 95%.
Opinion on Political Issue
As a nurse, I believe vaccinations save lives. It protects our children and the public. Diseases such as polio, rubella, measles and diphtheria have been eradicated here in the United States. However, we are seeing cases of measles outbreak due to individuals who opt out of vaccinating their children. According to the CDC, modern vaccines are highly effective and safe. Serious side effects are very rare. Research has shown that vaccines do not cause autism, ADHD or diabetes. Misconceptions about vaccines are evident and I believe as a nurse it is crucial to educate parents about vaccinations and how it prevents the spread of deadly diseases. Parents who hesitate on whether to vaccine their children can be misinformed on the importance of vaccines, they can be unaware of the changes made to vaccines to maintain vaccination safety, they can also be influenced by anti-vaccine activists on social media and lastly financial hardships can hinder childhood vaccination. It is my job as a nurse to assess, educate and not judge the reason a parent or guardian chooses not to vaccinate their child.
Conclusion
In conclusion to Legislative branch essay, we need to be proactive and advocate for health policies in the legislature. By being health care advocates in the political setting, we can better help the population develop health promoting behaviors such as implementation of childhood immunizations. Through research, I have learned that childhood immunizations benefits outweigh the costs. Research has proved that vaccinations are safe and will help protect future and current generations from various diseases.
