West Virginia's bill for child vaccine religious exemptions was criticized by doctors and other health professionals. On Monday, Feb. 26, the House of Delegates passed the legislation.
This means that the state of West Virginia will be joining other 45 U.S. states that allow religious exemptions from childhood vaccines.
Since the overall bill was approved on a 57-41 vote, the legislation is now on its way to West Virginia's Senate. Although the passage's chances are uncertain, the Senate needs to act quickly since the 60-day regular session is scheduled to end on Mar. 9.
West Virginia's Bill for Child Vaccine Religious Exemptions
Josette Thomas, a school nurse, gives a child an immunization shot August 8, 2007 in Hialeah, Florida. The free immunization is part of the Miami-Dade County Health Department's program to help children heading back to school.
According to Fox News' latest report, West Virginia is considered to be one of the unhealthiest states in the U.S. Because of this, medical professionals called the new bill "archaic."
"Legislators want to turn the clock back nearly 100 years and remove some of the safeguards in our vaccination policies," said Kanawha-Charleston Health Department's health officer Dr. Steven Eshenaur.
"It escapes sound reasoning why anyone would want to weaken childhood immunization laws," he added.
Dr. Eshenaur further stated that children are more important than any agenda. He explained that West Virginia's new bill could bring horrific diseases back to the Mountain State.
CBS News reported that the bill initially aimed to remove vaccine requirements for students in public virtual schools. However, this was expanded in committee to allow private schools to set their own vaccine mandates.
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Sponsor Defends West Virginia's Bill
A child under 12 years old receives a dose of Pfizer vaccine as part of the COVID-19 immunization campaign on January 18, 2022 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. As COVID-19 cases spike due to the Omicron variant in the last week, state governments have decided to start vaccinating children between the ages of 5 and 11.
Raleigh County Republican Todd Kirby, the controversial bill's sponsor, defended the legislation. He said that it serves as a message about the existing guarantees of religious freedom.
The bill's sponsor added that the bill would allow unvaccinated kids to be in schools and day-care facilities, allowing them to have the "camaraderie and social interactions" that all children need.
As of writing, West Virginia requires children entering school for the first time to be immunized against nine infections or diseases. These include tetanus, whooping cough, measles, chickenpox, etc.
Young learners will only be exempted if they have a valid "medical excuse." But, once the bill becomes law, then children can be exempted if their reason is their religion.
Some officials, such as Kanawha County Republican JB Akers, support the religious exemption mentioned in the new legislation. However, Akers said that he disapprove that the bill will allow private schools to decide on student vaccine requirements.
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