New York ends religious exemptions to vaccinations

New York State lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday, June 13, that ends religious exemptions to vaccines in the state. 

The bill, which revises the current public health law allowing only children with medical issues to be exempt, was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo into law later that day and goes into effect immediately. 

“The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe. This administration has taken aggressive action to contain the measles outbreak, but given its scale, additional steps are needed to end this public health crisis,” Cuomo said in a statement. “While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks.” 

The bill, sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, was in response to the growing measles outbreak in New York state, particularly in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City and Rockland county. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, from Jan. 1 to June 13, 2019, 1,044 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 28 states and is the largest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

California, Maine, Mississippi and West Virginia are the only other states that do not allow some form of religious exemption. 

The New York State Catholic Conference did not take a position on the bill, but remains concerned with the consequences of tampering with religious freedom. 

“The herd immunity provided by the mandatory vaccination law is an essential component of maintaining the public health, and we support this policy,” said Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference. “While we did not take a position on the bill and there is no Catholic tenet that could be interpreted to allow a Catholic parent to claim a religious exemption, we would have preferred if the exemption language had been tightened to prevent abuse rather than be completely removed. In general, as a matter of principle, we get concerned when religious liberty protections are removed from the law.”