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In West Virginia, students are required to be vaccinated against several diseases. However, the state’s Board of Education recently started allowing students to opt out of vaccination requirements for religious reasons.
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From The Epoch Times:
The board on Nov. 26 said it was suspending its policy on compulsory vaccination requirements in light of an order that day from West Virginia Circuit Judge Michael Froble.
The judge wrote in a 74-page ruling that the Board of Education’s previous choice to deny all requests for religious exemptions “substantially burdened Plaintiffs’ religious exercise by forcing them to choose between vaccination and public education.”
While state officials have a compelling interest in protecting health, that interest can still be achieved by allowing religious exemptions, Froble said, citing how just 570 requests have been made. Those “constitute a small fraction of the statewide student population and would not meaningfully reduce vaccination rates or increase health risks,” the judge wrote.
The Times notes that state lawmakers have tried and failed to add religious exemptions to the law. After taking office in January, however, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey issued an order forcing state officials and schools to honor religious exemptions to vaccination. The state’s Board of Education disagreed, prompting the lawsuit that led to Judge Froble’s ruling.
With this decision, West Virginia has becomes the 46th state to “grant exemptions on nonmedical grounds, primarily on religious or philosophical grounds,” according to the Times. While all states grant medical exemptions to vaccines, California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York do not offer nonmedical exemptions.
This is a win for religious freedom and personal liberty, as well as an answer to our prayers. Let’s thank God for this decision, and let’s pray that every state would come to recognize and honor religious exemptions!
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(Excerpt from The Epoch Times. Photo Credit: twofiqu ahamed barbhuiya/Canva Teams)
