With cases of whooping cough surging and a growing number of parents claiming a religious exemption from vaccinations for their children, a Senate panel day approved a measure making the shots much harder to avoid.
"I think the religious exemption was being misused," state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), a sponsor of the bill, said. "And we have statistics of a growing number of non-immunized children. We’re starting to see some outbreaks like whooping cough."
Weinberg said that "people who have true religious beliefs should be protected, and others who are misusing it should not."
The Senate Health Committee voted 6-2 to send the bill (S1759) to the full Senate. The panel approved the same bill last year, but the full Senate never voted on it. A similar bill has been introduced in the Assembly, though it has not yet had a hearing.
The legislation would require parents to submit documentation to the school explaining how the vaccination would conflict with the "bona fide religious tenets or practices of the student" and include a signed and notarized letter explaining how the religious conviction would conflict with the vaccination.
In addition, the bill would state that the religious belief was held consistently, did not apply only to vaccinations, and that the parent understood the risks of avoiding the shot.
Parents would also have to submit a signed statement from a doctor confirming the parents were counseled on the risks.
In the event of an emergency, the state heath commissioner would be able to suspend the exemption.
Is this tyranny? Does it make it too hard for people to practice their first amendment right to freedom of religion? Considering
The number of parents claiming a religious exemption has increased sharply in recent years. In the 2005-2006 school year, 0.3 percent of preschool through high school students claimed the religious exemption; last school year, 1.3 percent did.
