PORTLAND, Ore. — One of the topics that drew the most attention socially from Tuesday's Oregon gubernatorial debate focused on vaccinations.
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kate Brown faced off against Republican lawmaker Knute Buehler at the KGW studios in Portland in a debate that was aired live on television and digital platforms.
The debate featured several pre-recorded video questions including one from an Oregon resident on what rights parents have when it comes to vaccinating their kids.
Brown said the rights of parents must be balanced with the demands of protecting public health, especially as instances of communicable disease, such as mumps, rise nationwide.
"We probably give some parents a little too much leeway," she said. "If we want to make sure that we're protecting public health, we want to make sure that our children have the vaccinations that they need."
Meanwhile, Buehler said that as a physician he believes in the benefits of vaccination, but the state should allow parents to opt-out for "personal beliefs, religious beliefs, or even if they have strong alternative medical beliefs."
"That gives people option and choice," he said.
The Facebook video of that exchange had been viewed more than 30,000 times in the initial hours following the debate.