On October 10, students in Utica were sent home for failing to get hepatitis B vaccines by the state deadline. Parents were warned the children would be turned over to Child Protective Services for neglect if they were still without vaccination in 2 weeks.

"This is Hillary-Care coming home to roost in NY," said Jane M. Orient, MD, Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). President and Mrs. Clinton's 1992 campaign pledge to create the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) was to become the first domestic policy initiative of the administration. It was designed as their first shot to pass the Health Security Act. "Their campaign to pass VFC was based on creating a false crisis by claiming that millions of children would be exposed to risk of disease without a government program."

"This vaccine is a potential death sentence for some children," said Dr. Orient. "Government studies show that children under the age of 14 are three times more likely to die or suffer adverse reactions after receiving hepatitis B vaccines than to catch the disease itself." Hepatitis B is primarily an adult disease, usually spread by multiple sex partners, drug abuse or an occupation with exposure to blood. Children are at a very low risk of exposure, unless the pregnant mother is infected.

The school district will lose a substantial amount of state funding if students do not comply with the vaccine mandate. "We refuse to let that happen," said school district physician, Mark Zongrone.

"Apparently, Dr. Zongrone is more interested in protecting his employer's budget than protecting the children under his care, and Mrs. Clinton cares more about her vision of socialized medicine, "said Dr. Orient.