Buffalo, NY – When New York lawmakers revoked a religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations, the change sent thousands of the state’s parents scrambling to get their kids shots — or get them out of the classroom entirely.
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Lawmakers did away with the exemption in June amid the nation’s worst measles outbreak since 1992. More than 26,000 children in public and private schools and day care centers had previously gone unvaccinated for religious reasons, according to the state Health Department.
Now time is running short. Unvaccinated students have 14 days from the start of school to prove they received the first dose of each immunization, and they must make appointments for the next round within a month. Most schools reopen just after Labor Day.
Some parents opposed to vaccinations are choosing to pull their kids from school rather than comply.
“Those that are choosing to vaccinate, it’s not because their beliefs have changed,” said Jina Gentry, a Buffalo mother of four who will home-school her children rather than have them vaccinated. She said not everyone has the means or time to do the same.
At the private Aurora Waldorf School in suburban Buffalo, parents of 21 students said they would not be attending this fall, rather than rush to vaccinate, said administrator Anna Harp, who oversees about 175 students from preschool to eighth grade.
“Some families have told us that they plan to home-school, and a few said that they were moving out of New York,” Harp said. “Several families have told us that they plan to return once their children’s immunizations are up to date.”
New York became the fourth state, along with California, Mississippi and West Virginia, to eliminate religious and personal-belief exemptions for vaccines. Maine will remove them in 2021. All states allow medical exemptions.
More than 1,200 cases of measles have been confirmed in 30 states this year, more than three-quarters of them linked to outbreaks in New York and New York City, the Centers for Disease Control reported.
Many of the New York cases have been among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities . Resistance to vaccinations remains, despite scientific evidence that they are both safe and effective.
The state Health Department will audit schools to assure compliance with the new law and require unvaccinated students without a valid medical excuse to leave school, spokeswoman Jill Montag said. Schools already submit annual surveys about immunization coverage and are subject to spot checks to confirm their answers. Schools that violate the rules could face fines.
“We do not anticipate having any problems securing compliance,” Montag said in an email.
Before the statewide law change, the New York City Health Department closed 12 schools that could not prove students were vaccinated following an April emergency order.
Like many parents, Gentry’s view on vaccines does not stem from formal religious teachings but rather personal beliefs, including that God created people with natural immunity against diseases.
A literacy coach for Buffalo Public Schools, she said her full workday will now be followed by lessons with her kids before and after dinner.
“It’s a huge change and it’s definitely life altering,” she said. Among her biggest concerns, she said, is that her kids are now “segregated from people.”
Leslie Danesi said her 15-year-old daughter, who was captain of her school’s basketball team and was to be president of the student council, will be home-schooled this year and miss out on those opportunities.
“Those are big things for a 15-year-old,” said the mother of six who lives in the town of Greece, near Rochester. She said she views her children as gifts from God, and they should not be subject to forced injections.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1905 that states have the right to enforce compulsory vaccination laws.
Opponents have filed at least two unsuccessful lawsuits. A hearing for one drew more than 1,000 people to the Albany County Courthouse.
(AP)
Torah Law involves zero objection to vaccinations, and one is oveir בל תוסיף to claim that it does. One may ideological reasons to avoid vaxxing, and one may have beliefs in various theories (known to the intelligent world as conspiracy theories) that are against immunizations. But it is plainly blasphemous to attribute these personal beliefs to religion. I cannot speak for other religions. But enough of the gedolei Yisroel confirmed that halacha says nothing to support anti-vaxxing. So abolishing the “religious exemption” has no real effect on those Jews who are anti-vaxxers, except that their straw excuse has been dumped.
Right on the forms they give you after you vaccinate your child it states they can go in to a coma, brain damage, seizures etc, the information in this article saying they are safe is a lie, from a parent that vaccinates
Honorable Bissel. Rambam directs us to use simplest methods in health care. Plz read. Vaccine Court paid $4Billion for vaccine injuries. Would be higher if all cases were heard. See CHILDRENSHEALTHDEFENSE.ORG. Safer vaccines are nec.
Bissel, learn your facts! If you don’t learn, then you lack seichel.
For all those who are against vaccinating against measles, just remember the poor 43 year old El Al flight attendant, who contacted measles on an El Al flight, from some selfish slob, who refused to be vaccinated. As a result, she suffered greatly, before expiring. She was someone’s Mother, Wife, and Daughter. A shanda!
One may make the argument that the net result is that vaccines are genarally safe and that the net result is better. But that in no way means that vaccines are always safe.
The reality is that serious side effects are not as rare as you are led to believe.
If you need proof of that just see how many billions have been paid out by vaccine injury court.
It is nearly impossible to get a medical exemption in NY. A child has to be close to death in order to receive one.
The rabbonim who pushed for the religious exemption to be taken away and have yiddishe neshamos denied chinuch have their problem of chinuch.
It has been said that in the days before Moshiach the eruv rav will be controlling Klal Yisrael. Perhaps this is what we are witnessing.
It’s only the naive people that follow along what the “medical community” is saying. Your pediatrician is not a vaccine scientist. They are just told as a doctor they must encourage everyone to have vaccines. That is their job. & all those medical doctors (SO many of them), that DO know how unsafe the vaccines are, are afraid to open their mouth to say what they know, cuz they will lose their license. The “pro vaccines cult” will find a way to find an excuse to do that. So all their mouths remain shut if they know what’s good for them, so they don’t lose their livelihood. The pro vacciners are not at risk for losing their license, that’s why you here of so many of them. If you would just know how many of the top intelligent doctors who DO know how unsafe the vaccines are, & who looked into it themselves, & with no commission, you would be shocked who they are. But they don’t even just fear for their livelihood. They literally fear for their life if they open up their mouth & voice the truth. A religious exemption does not mean that we see it written in the Torah that vaccines are not allowed. It means that it says in the Torah “ishmartem es nafshoseichem”, so as Rabbi Kanievsky said, that whoever (is not naive) & knows the dangers of vaccinations after doing own real research (& not from the brochures that the pharmaceutical companies published & mailed out to everyone), then we have to follow what are our instincts. If we learn that it’s very unsafe, then we shouldn’t get ourselves vaccinated. Those who DO want to vaccinate, go ahead. We are not stopping you. Everyone should do what they feel is right according to their research. & those who want to follow blindly what was brainwashed into them that vaccines are alright, it’s Ok that you believe them. But we don’t follow blindly. None of the anti vaxxers followed what someone brainwashed us. We each did our own thorough research & spent a lot of time finding out what’s REALLY going on. & we found out that the biggest doctors all know how unsafe vaccines are. & we know a lot of them. But they have to keep it a secret from the public. Sadly. & just because we stick up for our rights, dont do something that we know is not safe for our kids, doesn’t mean we’re making a chillul Hashem. Actually ask so many of the goyim that claim that the pro vaxxers are the ones that are acting wild & that can’t stand that the anti vaxxers are standing up for themselves. That’s all they’re doing. & rightfully so. You don’t have to stand up for yourself, so why are u Making so much noise? Is that what the pharmaceutical is guiding you to do? To make noise that the anti vaxxers is a cult? Does a cult mean “a group of people that DONT let themselves be controlled by other (or the pharmaceutical company)? We are actually the opposite of a cult.
& btw, I did vaccinate my kids. I did b4 the whole tararam. My kids are much older now. & did it not because I believe in vaccines. I DONT believe in it. I just didn’t have any support from my kids doctors cuz they have to “follow orders” (yes, controlled). The place where I lived, (Not NY or NJ) was very strict about it, & I didn’t want to put up a fight. But I did start the shots only once my kids were 6 months. & I gave the MMR not at 12 months, but at about 15 months, & NOT together with the other “cocktail” of shots on the other hand. I waited atleast 3 months in between. & by the way, just like with Doctors, there are SO many Rebbi’s & big dayanim that are against giving shots for those that know the harm, but they too are afraid to open their mouths. Cuz you know good & well what a screaming they will be given. But the other Rebbis that do push for the shot, if course won’t be screamed at. & would they come to meet the big scientists that know the science of vaccines & get to learn why vaccines are so dangerous? Are they ready to find out? Or they are also following blindly & don’t have a mind if their own. why are the pro vaxxers always fighting? Anti vaxxers are only fighting for their rights. But what about the pro vaxxers? They have what they want. They can give shots if they want. They can do what they feel is right for their own kids. So just close your mouth & let everyone follow whoever they want to choose as their guidance.