Anti-vaccination proponents rally at the State Capitol

A hundred or so people, many mothers of vaccine-impacted children, spent Tuesday at the State Capitol.

They were fighting legislation that has already cleared the House that requires doctors to automatically list with the state in which children have been vaccinated.

House Bill 213 eliminates a provision that allows parents to opt out of the database.

Tampa mother Erin Olszewski is a founder and President of the Florida Freedom Alliance.

“My son was vaccine injured. So at twelve months, he received the MMR vaccine,” said Olszewski. "He was walking talking, bubbly laughing, you know, before that shot. After that shot, he immediately regressed into an infant. He didn’t talk, he didn’t walk. We spent thousands of dollars on a speech therapist, everything. Finally, now he’s six and just started talking.”

The Senate is still considering legislation that continues the opt-out for parents who, like Olszewski, believe the legislation is an infringement of their constitutional rights as parents.