House Bill 2941: Religious Exemption from Mandatory Immunizations

Sponsor:
Klempa

Summary:
Currently, West Virginia only allows exemptions from mandatory immunizations for medical reasons. This bill would provide for parents to exempt their children from immunizations for reasons of religious belief.

Status:

1/15/2007		Referred to Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources
4/15/2007		West Virginia legislative session ends with bill failing to pass; the bill is now dead.

HSLDA's Position:
Support!

Action Requested:
No further action is required, as the bill is dead.

Background:
Forty-eight states provide for religious or conscientious/philosophical exemptions for parents who choose not to immunize their children. Seventeen states allow for conscientious parental choice exemptions: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Only Mississippi and West Virginia have no religious or philosophical exemptions. However, Mississippi does allow an automatic exemption for homeschool students. According to surveys conducted by Centers for Disease Control, states allowing for conscientious choice exemptions do not have higher rates of vaccine preventable illnesses.

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