Religious exemptions to vaccines may get tougher

TRENTON – State lawmakers worried about a spike in unvaccinated school kids have a plan to limit religious exemptions: They want parents to prove it.

The number of pupils who aren't fully vaccinated because of religious exemptions jumped from less than 1,500 to nearly 9,000 since 2007. In 2008, the state told school officials to accept religious-exemption letters, no questions asked.

That shouldn't suffice, according to some legislators.

They say religious exemptions to mandatory vaccinations should require parents to spell out the bona fide religious tenets or practices that are in conflict, through a notarized, sworn, written explanation in which they acknowledge the risks and benefits of vaccination to the student and public health.

"That's really that simple. We're not asking for a letter from the Pope or anyone like that," said Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who acknowledges he'd eliminate all religious exemptions if he had his way but that's unrealistic.

Exemptions would also require a signed letter from a licensed physician who counseled the parents on the risks and benefits of vaccination.

Dr. Drew Harris, chairman of the New Jersey Public Health Institute, said people are abusing the religious exemption and the state needs to "ask people to be honest and ensure the honesty of their beliefs." He said there has been a four-fold increase in religious exemptions.

"As far as I know, there hasn't been a four-fold increase in religiosity in New Jersey," Harris said.

Statewide, 1.7 percent of students in grades tracked by schools last year had religious exemptions. Before the policy changed in 2008, it hovered around 0.3 percent. The highest rates are in Hunterdon County, 4.8 percent, Monmouth County, 3.5 percent, and Sussex County, 3.3 percent.

Exemptions can't be obtained in New Jersey for moral, philosophical or political views, though some vaccination opponents say there's no distinction between a moral and religious viewpoint. They say a government official shouldn't be deciding their religious sincerity and contend that vaccinations aren't safe.

"This bill is offensive and invasive," said Hilary Downing of Readington, who said her daughter was seriously injured by a vaccine. "Asking for a tenet of my personal religion that will be reviewed by school and government administrators and health officials, it's similar to asking for someone to quote Scripture to be allowed to circumcise their baby."

"Your religion doesn't have to have a name in order to be a legitimate religion. Once you start to define it in order to say what can't be included, you're on shaky ground," said Louise Kuo Habakus of Middletown, co-founder of the Center for Personal Rights and author of the book 'Vaccine Epidemic.'

"In the last five, 10 years, there's been a tremendous, I'll call it, enlightenment on vaccines," said Yelena Korchman of Montville. "What are the ingredients? What are the risks? What are the side effects? And I would argue that the exemptions are growing because of that – not because it's easy but because people have woken up."

"I certainly don't want them to get (sick), and I certainly don't want anyone else's children to be sick or to be injured, but that's my right," Ariel Mayer of Morris Plains said of not immunizing her children. "I don't go into people homes and tell them stop eating industrialized food and to eat non-GMO organically grown food, even though a healthy diet is one of the best defenses we have to prevent disease."

Holly Masclans of Haddonfield, who has had religious exemptions from immunization rules for 14 years for her four children, said the change would prompt people to move to other states for fear that schools would reject their exemptions.

"New Jersey is going to lose because parents like me, friends like me in Moorestown, in Haddonfield, in Princeton, in Voorhees, who have the same beliefs as I do, are going to leave, and we're going to take our money with us," Masclans said.

The Senate health committee on March 9 advanced legislation, by a 5-2 vote, that would tighten the exemption requirements. The Assembly health committee is expected to do the same Monday. It's not clear if and when the bills will be voted on by either full house. A similar bill was endorsed by the Senate health committee in 2012, and a less-expansive one was was endorsed in 2011, but neither were called for a full Senate vote.

It's also not known what Gov. Chris Christie would do with the bill if it got to his desk. In England last month, Christie said vaccines are important and that his children are inoculated but expressed a willingness to give parents more choice, at least for less-serious diseases.

Doctors say the plan to tighten religious exemptions is fair and necessary.

"Parents should have the right to decide most issues for their beloved children. However, these decisions should be based on scientific facts and reality," said academic pediatrician Dr. Lawrence Frankel, co-chairman of the New Jersey Immunization Network.

"We must have a mesh that is tight as we protect our communities and our children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Everyone who can be vaccinated should be vaccinated," said Dr. Jeanne Craft, who works in pediatric intensive care.

Michael Symons: (609) 984-4336; msymons@app.com