Illinois legislator, physician discusses vitamin K refusals amid new study

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A new study shows more parents are refusing vitamin K shots for newborns, sparking debate in Illinois between a lawmaker and a mother.

According to a Journal of the American Medical Association study highlighted by NBC News, refusal of the vitamin K shot has risen significantly in recent years, climbing from under 3% of newborns in 2017 to more than 5% in 2024. Researchers analyzed medical records for more than 5 million infants, noting that the trend accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Rep. Bill Hauter, R-Morton, a physician, warned that opting out of vitamin K for newborns is “very dangerous and unwise.”

“Since the 1950s, we’ve been giving vitamin K to newborns, and it’s been a tremendous thing to reduce the risk of bleeding abnormalities,” Hauter said. “If you don’t have appropriate vitamin K levels, the risk, particularly for brain bleeding, is significant.”

Lake County mother and pharma industry veteran Marsha McClary said vaccine manufacturer immunity is fueling parental skepticism and calls for transparency.

“Parents should be given transparency and thorough information to make well informed personal risk/benefit decisions regarding any medical interventions including vaccines for their children,” McClary told The Center Square. “Increasingly parents are requesting vaccine data, information and consulting their personal medical experts to make informed vaccination decisions whereas in the past some may have not done this amount of evaluation or research.”

Hauter warned some groups use calls for more information to justify rejecting vaccines and other preventive care.

“My problem with some parent groups is that calls for ‘more information’ are often used as code for opposing vaccinations,” Hauter said. “When doctors explain why they recommend a vaccine, those groups then ask for different information or look for reasons not to get it.”

McClary also pointed to the broad legal immunity vaccine manufacturers have under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. She said the difficulty in obtaining compensation through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program contributes to skepticism among consumers who feel there is a misalignment between manufacturer incentives and patient safety.

McClary said a great “Christmas gift” for American families would be restoring accountability for vaccine manufacturers to better align their incentives with public safety.

Hauter explained rising refusals of vitamin K reflect growing distrust fueled by federal changes to vaccine guidance, including Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s shift on hepatitis B at birth.

Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally stopped recommending hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns, advising parents and providers to decide individually for infants born to women who test negative, potentially delaying the first dose until two months.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reaffirmed its recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, citing guidance from the Illinois Immunization Advisory Committee and long-standing scientific evidence.

“Despite recent federal changes, our recommendation for universal birth vaccination ensures every newborn in Illinois receives the strongest protection against this potentially deadly infection,” stated the IDPH in a news release.

The agency said the universal birth dose remains an effective strategy to prevent hepatitis B infections in infants and reduce the risk of serious liver disease later in life.

“Instead of recommending it, they’re [the federal agency] saying consult your health care provider. It’s always been up to the parent,” Hauter said.

Hauter criticized the state’s reaction to federal vaccine guidance changes, contrasting it with pandemic-era mandates.

“The Biden administration sought to force 80 million people through [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] to get vaccinated. Now HHS says, ‘consult your healthcare provider’ for childhood vaccines,” Hauter said. “To me, that’s more freedom and autonomy and yet people say we need to control all vaccination schedules for children. Don’t look to the CDC or HHS; look to IDPH, who previously shut people down and mandated vaccines.”