(RNS) — A proposed bill that would prohibit parents from citing religious or philosophical beliefs when refusing to vaccinate their school-age children stoked uproar in Connecticut this week, with some protesting the legislation and others voicing support for immunizations.
According to the Hartford Courant, hundreds of demonstrators descended on the Connecticut capitol on Wednesday (Feb. 19) and Thursday to express both support and opposition to the bill, which was crafted by state legislators in the wake of the measles outbreak that rocked the New York Jewish community in 2019.
Some wore stickers that read “My Faith says Do No Harm” or waved signs with slogans such as “Our rights. Medical freedom. Religious freedom.” Others held placards that read “Vaccines work. They are safe. Everything else is a lie.”
Parents opposed the bill stayed inside the Capitol Wednesday night and into Thursday morning as debate over the issue raged, with some becoming emotional during testimonies.
Supporters of the bill — which would still allow for medical exemptions from immunizations for schoolchildren — say it is partially a response to an uptick in religious exemptions in the state. The state’s Department of Public Health estimated that 7,800 children had religious exemptions in the 2018-2019 school year, a 25% increase from the year before.
If passed, the bill would make Connecticut the sixth state to eliminate non-medical exemptions, joining California, Maine, Mississippi, New York and West Virginia.
Hundreds of pieces of public testimony have been submitted, many of which pointed out that religious freedom is a right guaranteed in both the Connecticut and U.S. Constitutions.
Source: Religion News Service
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