Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism
CT VIEWPOINTS -- opinions from around Connecticut

Removing religious exemption is good policy

  • CT Viewpoints
  • by Kerri Raissian
  • March 5, 2020
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Vaccines have been compulsory to attend public schools in Connecticut since 1959. Two exemptions to this requirement exist. A medical exemption is allowed if vaccines would endanger a child’s health, and a religious exemption is allowed if vaccines violate the child’s religious convictions. The religious exemption is bad policy. It cannot be properly monitored or enforced, and as such, has had negative consequences. The Connecticut General Assembly should approve HB 5044 and end the religious exemption.

Vaccines are safe, and they promote both individual and public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics unequivocally endorse the use of vaccines for children and adults with healthy immune systems. These organizations also state that vaccines are most effective when there is maximum participation. “Herd” or “community” immunity is achieved when everyone who can safely take vaccines does so. This means infants and the immuno-compromised who cannot take vaccines are protected from vaccine preventable diseases. Also, the vaccinated enjoy further protection because exposure rates are decreased. It’s a win for everyone.

The religious exemption has grown in popularity in the last few years. On Feb. 19, Department of Public Health Commissioner Coleman-Mitchell testified that the use of the religious exemption increased by 25% and that over 100 Connecticut schools fell below the threshold for community immunity.

Last year Connecticut experienced four cases of the measles, which signals the erosion of our state’s community immunity. In an era where measles was eradicated – meaning we should have ZERO cases of measles– it’s clear the time for policy correction is now.

The overuse of the religious exemption signals that it is being used as a loophole for parents who do not want to comply with Connecticut’s public schools vaccine mandate. I have listened to the parents wanting to keep the religious exemption and most of the arguments have centered not on religion but on preserving parental choice, doubts regarding the safety of vaccines, and a preference for other immunity fortifying efforts.

Parents get to make many choices, but in Connecticut this should not be one of them. Vaccines are required to attend public school – medical and religious reasons currently excepted. Schools have a responsibility to establish a safe environment for our children when they are there, and vaccines are an important part of disease prevention. There is no substitute for vaccines. Their efficacy relies on maximum participation among those who can safely take them, and that’s the overwhelming majority of us.

Ironically, the debate about the necessity of vaccines is only being had because vaccines have done their job. We have forgotten what it’s like to have children with measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. We have forgotten that vaccine preventable diseases may be accompanied by secondary complications, like immune amnesia in the case of measles, or secondary infection or blindness in the case of chickenpox. Death, while rare, can also result from many diseases. Vaccines can and have prevented all of this. Our arrogance in denying the efficacy of vaccines is wrongheaded and dangerous.

We should not wait until there is a public health emergency to react. Government has a responsibility to be proactive – especially when the consequences of inaction are long-lasting, dire, and expensive. The public health crisis in Rockland County, New York – our neighbor – is instructive about what we might face in Connecticut. Just look at the current and unchecked spread of COVID-19 (or Coronavirus). Moreover, in the event of a public health emergency, the costs of containment would be borne by local governments. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If vaccine rates are an indicator of public support, then the majority of Connecticut parents understand the value of vaccines. However, anti-vaccine parents have dominated the public debate. Pro-vaccine parents — a silent majority — should understand that their children are better protected when the children around them are likewise vaccinated. We should all be concerned about the health of the immuno-compromised. The state has an obligation to promote public health, and the overuse and abuse of the religious exemption presents a clear threat to the health and safety of our schools and communities. I urge the Connecticut General Assembly to pass HB 5044 and remove the religious exemption.

Kerri Raissian of Avon is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Connecticut and the Co-Leader of the Connecticut Scholars Strategy Network.

CTViewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. Read our guidelines and submit your commentary here.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Better rail service will boost Naugatuck Valley economy
by Kara Rochelle

For residents of the Naugatuck Valley, whether you ride the train or not, increased rail service will directly and positively affect your life. Increased and reliable rail service means increases in property values.

Why a Connecticut family foundation is funding the national movement for Black lives
by William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. Board and Staff

The last several years have thrust racial injustice against Black people not only into the media spotlight, but also into our emerging public consciousness about the continued consequences of our nation’s legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation.

Statewide standardized testing this Spring: To what end?
by Christopher E. Trombly

Despite many challenges, Congressional committees in both houses remain steadfast in their belief that state standardized testing should be administered this spring.  They cite the recent announcement that NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing will not be conducted this year as adding to this “moral imperative.” Better would be for state departments of education to use the myriad data that administrators and teachers have naturally collected since March to allocate resources that will allow for student learning to be recovered, and for historic structural inequities to be addressed at long last.

Felons and non-citizens on Connecticut juries? Not a good idea
by Steven Wilf

A move is afoot to extend the privilege of sitting on a jury to released felons and non-citizen long-term residents. According to a recent report, supported by Connecticut Chief Justice Richard Robinson, making this change would increase Black and Latinx representation. This is a laudatory goal. But it undermines the very foundations of jury participation as a key aspect of citizenship.

Vaccinate educators now
by Jeff Leake

Nearly a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to shut down, no one is more eager for a full reopening than teachers, who understand the myriad advantages of in-person instruction and the hurdles of going remote. If we prioritize school reopening, however, we must prioritize vaccination of teachers.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Better rail service will boost Naugatuck Valley economy
by Kara Rochelle

For residents of the Naugatuck Valley, whether you ride the train or not, increased rail service will directly and positively affect your life. Increased and reliable rail service means increases in property values.

Opinion Why a Connecticut family foundation is funding the national movement for Black lives
by William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund. Board and Staff

The last several years have thrust racial injustice against Black people not only into the media spotlight, but also into our emerging public consciousness about the continued consequences of our nation’s legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation.

Opinion Statewide standardized testing this Spring: To what end?
by Christopher E. Trombly

Despite many challenges, Congressional committees in both houses remain steadfast in their belief that state standardized testing should be administered this spring.  They cite the recent announcement that NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing will not be conducted this year as adding to this “moral imperative.” Better would be for state departments of education to use the myriad data that administrators and teachers have naturally collected since March to allocate resources that will allow for student learning to be recovered, and for historic structural inequities to be addressed at long last.

Opinion Felons and non-citizens on Connecticut juries? Not a good idea
by Steven Wilf

A move is afoot to extend the privilege of sitting on a jury to released felons and non-citizen long-term residents. According to a recent report, supported by Connecticut Chief Justice Richard Robinson, making this change would increase Black and Latinx representation. This is a laudatory goal. But it undermines the very foundations of jury participation as a key aspect of citizenship.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO