Dear PCIC Families and Friends,

This election did not bring the outcome many of us worked and prayed for. I share your disappointment. I know many of you are looking at your children and wondering what comes next—and what you may need to do to protect your family’s choices.  As a PCIC steering team, we have been talking a lot about what comes next for us. One of the ideas that we all continue to echo is that we have been placed here at this moment for such a time as this. We can think back through history to many examples of people who have stood for their principles and convictions— making a way where there seemed to be no way.  Our present circumstances are no different except that we do not yet have the luxury of looking back to see how it all panned out.  For now, we reflect and consider what has happened and how that can inform the ways in which we respond in the future.

Elections have consequences. The people elected to office will make decisions affecting parental authority, religious liberty, medical privacy, and informed consent. We need to prepare for renewed efforts to restrict those freedoms in Pennsylvania.  For me and the rest of the PCIC steering team, health freedom is foundational. If we cannot decide what goes into our own bodies or our children’s bodies, how secure are our other rights? We don’t take any freedom for granted. But our health can affect our ability to speak, assemble, worship, defend ourselves, and care for the people we love. That is why protecting informed consent is so personal—and so important.

We know the playbook. We have seen it before.

In 2015, California eliminated its personal-belief vaccine exemption, including religious objections. In 2019, New York repealed its religious vaccine exemption. In 2020, New Jersey came close, but the repeal effort stalled without enough Senate support. Those experiences show both how much families can lose and why we must keep working to influence the outcome.

Simply put, our religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions here in Pennsylvania are absolutely at stake for the first time in awhile. We cannot know exactly when a proposal will appear or predict when it will move or what provisions it will contain; as such, we cannot afford to wait until a bill is introduced to begin organizing.  We know the bills already exist because they have been introduced in previous sessions. Make no mistake– the bills to strip our medical freedom in PA are tee’d up and ready to go. 

In addition, we also need to be careful about assuming homeschooling will always provide a protected alternative. Pennsylvania is one of 4 states in the U.S. with their homeschool law connected to its immunization laws in public school code. Any proposal to remove exemptions must be examined for its consequences across ALL educational settings.

This year’s measles outbreak and Pennsylvania’s 502-page proposed health regulations have made the concerns of the COVID years feel close again. Many families recognize that familiar uncertainty about what officials might require next and how those decisions could affect their children. We learned many lessons during COVID including how difficult it is to respond once policies are already in place. This time, we need to turn that experience into earlier, sustained action.

How we can move forward

One of the positive impacts of those difficult years is that parents who had felt alone found other families asking the same questions. Our community grew as more people woke up to how government decisions could reach into their homes, workplaces, churches, and children’s classrooms. We exchanged information, stood beside one another, and built friendships that carried us through difficult days.

It is time to reconnect with those people now if you’ve lost touch. Reach out to the parent you met at a school-board meeting, the friend who stood beside you at a rally, or the family you helped find resources. These could be friends you’ve never lost touch with, but you’ve stopped talking about medical freedom and informed consent because it has faded into the background. Bring it back to the foreground.  Don’t assume everyone is paying attention to the impact of this election.

The relationships we built can help us prepare for what comes next—if we put them into action.

An election determines who holds office. It does not decide every bill, every regulation, or every conversation that follows. Legislators still need to hear from the people they represent. A proposal still needs enough support to become law. We have opportunities to educate, build relationships, and affect those decisions.

Now is the time to continue talking with people who voted differently than we did. Concern for children, privacy, religious liberty, and the right to make medical decisions reaches across party lines. Finding common ground gives people reasons to stand with us. We remain hopeful because within this community we have seen families learn to advocate, find their voices, and show up for one another. Those experiences—and the courage behind them—have helped build this movement. Our continued action and commitment will only make it stronger.

Jump in and get involved

PCIC is entirely grassroots and unpaid—a relatively small group of volunteers giving their time, talents, and energy to this work, but a small group cannot carry this responsibility for everyone. We truly need more people willing to make a sustained commitment. We don’t have the money or paid staff that the pharmaceutical industry brings to these battles, so we depend on people willing to help.  If these issues concern you and you’ve been sitting on the fence, now is the time to get off of the fence and get involved. We need time to welcome volunteers, help you learn, and find where your skills fit. Once harmful bills begin moving, our small team won’t have the capacity to bring a wave of new volunteers up to speed while also working to stop bad legislation. 

Please reach out now. Whether you can help with research, writing, organizing, social media, or local outreach, choose a commitment you can keep. You don’t need to know everything to begin—you need a willingness to learn and follow through. Here are some ways you can jump in ASAP to make a difference:

• Build a relationship with your state representative and senator. This is perhaps the MOST important. Take the time to introduce yourself before an urgent vote. Explain why informed consent and exemptions matter to your family. Legislators care about what their constituents have to say. 
• Act on our alerts. Read the details, make the call, and send the personal message to the people who need to hear from us. It matters. 
• Make showing up a priority. When we ask you to attend a hearing, come to the Capitol, or meet with legislators, please make every effort to be there—even if that means taking time off work, arranging childcare, or changing plans. We know that takes sacrifice, but your presence matters SO MUCH. 
• Bring someone with you. Help another parent, grandparent, neighbor, or healthcare professional become informed and involved.
• Offer your time and skills. Research, writing, organizing, and local outreach all help move this work forward. Reach out to PCIC through our website if you would like to get involved. Someone on our steering team will get in touch to figure out how your strengths and interests might fit in with our current needs. 
• Support PCIC financially if you are able. Consistent support helps sustain the monitoring, education, and outreach families depend on.

Our faith, our convictions, and our responsibility to our children remain. Let’s meet this moment with clear eyes, steady resolve, and a willingness to do the work. As Legislative Director, my focus will be on identifying threats early, explaining what proposals actually do, and helping you act while there is still time to influence the outcome. We will watch regulations as closely as legislation and work to give families clear, accurate information.