Vote no on Question 1 

To the Editor;

Everyone has a right to their personal beliefs and religion; a right that exists right up to the point where those personal beliefs put others in the community at risk.

Question 1 would allow those who oppose vaccines for non-medical personal reasons to send their unvaccinated children to school. Those personal beliefs would expose other children -children who then carry the virus home and into the community. This puts us all at risk, especially the vulnerable, aged, infants and pregnant women.  

Measles was on the rise in 2019 when travelers to countries with large measles outbreaks returned to communities where some people chose not to be vaccinated, leading to the spread of the highly contagious disease the CDC said.  

Measles is highly contagious, infecting 90 percent of unvaccinated people who are exposed to the disease; on the other hand, the measles vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing the measles.

We live in communities. No man or woman is an island. We all bear a responsibility to help protect the community at large — this is what public health and civilized society is all about. 

No individual’s personal beliefs should trump the health of the community. Vote no on Question 1.

Lori Calderone

Dover Foxcroft