Some who gathered outside held signs with slogans such as “Defend Religious Liberty” and “Coercion is not consent,” and chanted “kill the bill.”Īt times during the Senate debate, those chants and shouts from the crowd could be heard inside the marble and granite Capitol building, which is closed to the public because of COVID-19 safety protocols. Many opponents argue the bill is unnecessary, discriminatory and an infringement on their religious liberties and parental rights. State Capitol police said about 2,000 to 3,000 protesters gathered outside for the Senate session - the second large-scale protest this session against efforts to end the exemption. On Tuesday, there were protests outside the state Capitol where people were trying to stop final legislative passage of one of the most contentious bills of the session. But, if they do choose not to have their children vaccinated, this bill best ensures that other children and their families will not be exposed to these deadly diseases for hours each day in our schools.” “I want to make it clear, this law does not take away the choice of parents to make medical decisions for their children. In recent years, the number of children in our state who have not received routine vaccinations has been steadily increasing, which has been mirrored by significant growth in preventable diseases across the nation,” Lamont said in a statement. This legislation is needed to protect our kids against serious illnesses that have been well-controlled for many decades, such as measles, tuberculosis, and whooping cough, but have reemerged. “When it comes to the safety of our children, we need to take an abundance of caution. The debate came less than a week after the state Department of Public Health confirmed a second case of measles in a child living in Fairfield County. The vast majority of families have their children vaccinated in Connecticut. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, a medical doctor who specializes in lung diseases and treated COVID-19 patients and the vice chairman of the Public Health Committee. “When you see a clear pattern, it is important to be ahead of the curve and then make sure that we are able to address that,” said Sen. They cited a slow and steady increase in the number of religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations and declining vaccination rates in some schools.Īccording to the state Department of Public Health, the number of children claiming a non-medical exemption increased from 7,042 in the 2017-18 school year to 8,328 in 2019-20.

Proponents contend the legislation, which was amended in the House of Representatives to grandfather in any students with an existing religious exemption beginning with kindergarteners, is needed to prevent a potential outbreak. 3 people arrested for alleged sex crimes at Jewett City massage parlor: police

Vaccine religious exemption letter