Massachusetts pushing bill to end religious exemptions for childhood vaccines 

Massachusetts could soon end its religious exemption for its vaccination requirement to attend schools in the state.

The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health advanced “An Act relative to routine childhood immunizations” and referred it to the Health Care Financing Committee earlier this week. 

Democratic state representative Andy Vargas, who introduced the bill, thinks the religious exemption for vaccines is being misused, citing the increased use of the religious exemption as Massachusetts becomes less religious. 

“So you could say the spirit of the law is being violated,” Vargas said during a July 2023 legislative hearing. “Evidence from other states shows that removing religious exemptions increases vaccination rates without impacting school attendance.” 

The proposal applies to both public and private schools, as the Massachusetts Family Institute points out. The relevant state law makes no distinction between private and public schools with its vaccine mandate, nor does the proposal. 

Critics argue the bill undermines both parental rights and religious freedom. 

Republican state representative Steve Xiarhos is among those who oppose the bill, saying it would strip freedom away from his constituents. 

“My office has received many calls and e-mails recently about proposed legislation that would take away religious exemptions pertaining to vaccine requirements,” Xiarhos wrote in a Facebook post. “Pending that, please know that I oppose this legislation. I believe strongly in your rights and freedoms, and I take my job to protect them very seriously.  

“I do not personally oppose vaccination, but I also don’t believe in mandates that take away your personal rights, and that’s especially true for those who wish not to become vaccinated based on their sincerely held religious beliefs.” 

Additionally, Health Action Massachusetts strongly opposes the legislation, arguing that it would disproportionately hurt access to education for children from “underprivileged backgrounds.”

“The bill would deny in-person schooling to children (K-12) who desperately need it, including those from communities of color and underprivileged backgrounds, and those with special needs,” a landing page created by the organization says. 

A few small Christian sects oppose vaccination on theological grounds, including the Dutch Reformed Church, Church of the First Born, Faith Assembly, and Endtime Ministries, according to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

Additionally, some pro-life people and organizations oppose vaccines that were either produced or tested using the cell lines of an aborted baby. 

For example, the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts has called vaccines “abortion tainted” when addressing this issue. 

Just five states lack a personal or religious exemption for their school vaccine mandate policy: California, Connecticut, Maine, New York and West Virginia.