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Michigan lawmakers are considering legislation to ensure qualified families are not prevented from opening their homes to children in need because of their personal medical decisions.
HB 5990 would prohibit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) from requiring prospective foster family members to receive vaccines as a condition of becoming a licensed foster family. The bill would also prohibit medical statements submitted to MDHHS from including vaccine records.
Children in foster care need safe, stable, and loving homes. Yet Michigan, like many states across the country, faces a shortage of foster families willing and able to provide that care. Families who are otherwise qualified to foster should not be forced to choose between serving vulnerable children and complying with medical requirements that conflict with their personal convictions or healthcare decisions.
This bill does not prohibit vaccination, alter vaccine recommendations, or prevent foster families from choosing to vaccinate themselves. It simply ensures that vaccine status is not used as a barrier to fostering children in need.
WAPF does not take a position on provisions of this legislation unrelated to vaccines.
Michigan lawmakers need to hear from constituents NOW.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your State Representative TODAY and ask him/her to SUPPORT HB 5990.
Find your Michigan legislators here:
https://www.house.mi.gov/Index
Phone calls are most effective. Respectful emails help too.
SAMPLE SCRIPT
“Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent from ___. I’m calling to urge Representative ___ to SUPPORT HB 5990.
Michigan children in foster care need loving, stable homes. Families should not be disqualified from fostering because of their vaccination status.
This bill protects qualified foster families from having to choose between caring for vulnerable children and honoring their personal healthcare decisions.
Please support HB 5990 and help remove unnecessary barriers for foster families.
Thank you.”
TALKING POINTS
- Michigan is experiencing a shortage of foster families, making it more important than ever to remove unnecessary barriers for qualified caregivers.
- Children in foster care benefit from stable, loving homes. Policies should focus on expanding the pool of capable foster families rather than restricting it.
- Foster parents should be evaluated based on their ability to provide a safe, nurturing environmentβnot on whether they have received particular vaccines.
- HB 5990 protects medical privacy by ensuring that vaccine records are not included in medical statements submitted by prospective foster family members.
- Families should not have to choose between providing care to children in need and honoring their own healthcare decisions and convictions.
- Vaccines are pharmaceutical products and, like all medical interventions, carry both potential benefits and risks. Medical decisions should remain individualized.
- As of 5/29/2026, there wereΒ 2,722,446 adverse eventsΒ andΒ 50,629 deathsΒ reported to the federalΒ Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). A CDC-funded studyΒ found that as few as 1% of vaccine injuries may be reported, suggesting the true number could be significantly higher.
- Informed consent requires the freedom to make healthcare decisions without fear of losing opportunities to serve their communities and care for children.
- This bill does not prohibit vaccination or change vaccine recommendations. It simply ensures that vaccine status is not used to exclude otherwise qualified foster families.
MORE INFORMATION
HB 5990 Bill Text and Status:
https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2026-HB-5990
Current Status: HB 5990 was introduced and referred to the Michigan House Health Policy Committee on May 19, 2026.
For additional information on informed consent and vaccine policy:
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