Lawmakers Reject Bill that Uplift Religious Exemption for Vaccination

Despite the massive support on the bill that would remove religious practice as a reason to be exempted from vaccination among public schoolchildren, lawmakers in New Jersey refused to vote on it on Monday.

According to Kevin McArdle, a spokesperson from the New Jersey Assembly Majority Office, this means the bill "dies" since it did not pass the two houses -- the Senate and the Assembly.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, a sponsor of the bill, said that this disappoints her since this inaction can be dangerous not just to the unvaccinated students but to the entire community.

She also added that vaccination is not a "personal choice" but a duty of "working together to protect" those who have a compromised immune system and cannot be vaccinated.

Sen. Weinberg's words echoed Dr. Michael Brady's explanation about herd immunity -- a principle in which a vaccinated person does not just gain immunity from diseases but also prevents from transmitting it to others.

A Controversial Bill

There is no major religion that opposes vaccination. Yet according to a study, more and more vaccine-hesitant parents are citing their religious beliefs as a reason for vaccine exemption.

And this is why it is not surprising that the bill has sparked an outrage that prompted a few thousand people to gather outside the New Jersey State House on Thursday.

One of them is Beata Savreski, a mother of three. According to her, this bill will hinder parents from performing their duties to their children. She also said that this is worse than communism.

Assemblyman Jamel Holley also expressed his opposition against the bill since this will promote segregation. For instance, he suggested that wealthier people will just send their kids to private school to skip the mandatory vaccination.

Dr. Sean O'Leary, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, has a different religious interpretation about vaccination. For him, religions should be supporting it since it "saves lives and protect children".

He also said that all non-medical exemptions should be completely removed since its benefits outweigh the risks.

The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, refused to release a statement about the bill. However, his priority is to secure the health of the nine million citizens in New Jersey, and he will decisions that are supported by facts and scientific consensus.

For the pro, there is Republican Sen. Declan O'Scanlon. On his tweet on Thursday, he mentioned about the private school having a choice to admit unvaccinated children. Although he said that the bill is "not a perfect solution", he said it is still fair.

The battle is not yet over

Despite the house rejecting her bill, Sen. Weinberg promised that she and her colleagues will not stop working to get this bill passed to protect the children and to ensure safer classrooms for the next session.

Richard McGrath, a spokesman for Senate President Stephen Sweeney, explained that the bill must be approved by the Senate, then the Assembly before the governor signs it.

Despite the proven effectiveness of the vaccine, more people are campaigning against it that the World Health Organization included vaccine hesitancy on the 10 Global Health Threat in 2019.