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Complaints Filed By Local Woman Over Vaccination Issue

The Monroe County Immunization Clinic expands its hours.
Michelle Faust
The Monroe County Immunization Clinic expands its hours.

Complaints have been filed with the state over the position taken by some local pediatricians who don't want to treat children who have not received any vaccinations. And the local medical society is backing up a doctor's right to take that position. 

A local woman has filed complaints with the State Division of Human Rights against a dozen or so pediatric practices because of their refusal to take on her children as patients because she refuses all vaccines for them.

According to attorney Elizabeth Cordello, of the law firm Pullano and Farrow, who represents one of the pediatric practices, the woman who filed the complaint is claiming that her stance is based on religious beliefs.  Cordello says the doctors who are involved in this case would not discriminate against anyone because of religious reasons.

"They don't believe that it's scientifically valid to refuse all vaccinations and they don't agree with that course of treatment, and for those reasons, they don't accept those patients into their practice."

Cordello says the pediatricians usually are willing to be flexible. 

"A lot of these pediatricians have patients in their practice where the parents want a different timetable, or they want to opt out of certain vaccines and they're willing to work with those parents and educate them and come up with a compromise, but to refuse all vaccinations, these doctors anyway, just don't agree with that course of treatment," Cordello told WXXI News. 

A similar position is taken by the Monroe County Medical Society. Its executive director, Nancy Adams, says the doctors are following standard practice in situations like that.

“The AMA in particular says, you know, it's ethically permissible to decline a potential patient when the treatment request that the patient is making really isn't based on science, and that's where we're coming from," Adams explained.

Last week the Monroe County Medical Society issued a statementexpressing a similar sentiment.

The NYS Division of Human Rights  is not identifying the woman who filed the complaints at this time.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.