Chloe Ramirez
In 2019, New Jersey lawmakers proposed a bill to eliminate religious exemptions for vaccines, which was met with strong opposition. The bill aimed to address the rising number of measles cases and protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases. While the State Assembly passed the bill, it faced challenges in the Senate and failed to receive the necessary votes. As of 2024, the bill has not passed, and the legislative process will need to restart. The issue remains controversial, with opponents arguing for parental choice and informed consent, while supporters emphasize the importance of public health and preventing the spread of diseases.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
| Month | December |
| Day | 16 |
| Bill Name | Bill A3818 |
| Bill Status | The bill passed in the Assembly but was tabled by the Senate |
| Bill Subject | Eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines |
| Number of Unvaccinated School-Aged Children in New Jersey | 14,000 |
| Number of Confirmed Measles Cases in New Jersey in 2019 | 19 |
| Number of Confirmed Measles Cases in Ocean County in 2019 | 12 |
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What You'll Learn
- The bill to end religious vaccine exemptions in NJ hasn't passed
- If passed, the bill would keep unvaccinated kids out of public schools
- The bill must pass the full Assembly and the Senate version must be amended
- The bill clarifies statutory exemptions from mandatory immunizations
- The bill's advocates say it's designed to protect children from preventable diseases
The bill to end religious vaccine exemptions in NJ hasn't passed
The bill to end religious vaccine exemptions in New Jersey has not passed, despite efforts from lawmakers. The legislation, known as Bill A3818, aimed to eliminate religious exemptions as an option for parents who don't want their children vaccinated. While the bill initially faced criticism and failed to get the necessary votes, it was passed by the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee with a 6-4 vote. The bill then moved to the State Senate, where it faced additional challenges and failed to receive the required votes by the deadline. As a result, the legislative process will have to start over.
The push to end religious exemptions for vaccines in New Jersey comes amid concerns over measles outbreaks and the potential risks posed to unvaccinated children. In 2019, there were 19 confirmed cases of measles in the state, and religious exemptions allowed nearly 14,000 students to avoid getting vaccinated. Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to protect public health and prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. They believe that allowing religious exemptions puts those who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons in danger.
However, the bill has faced strong opposition from those who view it as an infringement on religious freedom and parental choice. Hundreds of protesters, including anti-vaccine parents and children, gathered outside the Statehouse to express their outrage. Some opponents argue that mandatory vaccination interferes with a person's ability to make informed medical decisions and participate actively in their healthcare. The debate surrounding the bill highlights the complex balance between protecting public health and respecting religious liberty.
While New Jersey has not passed the bill to end religious vaccine exemptions, other states have taken similar actions. California, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and West Virginia have passed laws ending religious exemptions for vaccines. These states prioritize public health and disease prevention, joining a growing movement to ensure vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases. The outcome of New Jersey's efforts remains uncertain, as the legislative process will have to restart, and the topic continues to be a subject of debate and discussion.
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If passed, the bill would keep unvaccinated kids out of public schools
In 2019, New Jersey lawmakers were set to pass a bill eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines. The bill would have kept unvaccinated children out of public schools. The bill was passed by the state Assembly but failed to get the necessary votes in the state Senate.
Under previous New Jersey law, students in public and private schools must be vaccinated for a list of diseases unless they claim that doing so would be medically risky or that it violates their religious beliefs. However, public health experts argued that parents were exploiting this loophole because most major religions do not oppose vaccines. According to the state Department of Education, there were 14,000 school-aged children in New Jersey who had not been vaccinated because their parents obtained a religious exemption.
The bill to end religious exemptions for vaccines was controversial. Supporters of the bill argued that it was necessary to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a physician who chairs the Assembly Health Committee and sponsored the bill, said that it would "make sure no family, no individuals suffer a loss that might have been prevented with a vaccine." He also noted that the bill was about both public health and respecting religious freedom.
Opponents of the bill, including those who oppose mandatory vaccination, viewed it as a significant erosion of New Jerseyans' personal rights. They argued that parents deserve the right to full informed consent when choosing to have their children inoculated and that mandatory vaccination laws interfere with a person's ability to make their own medical decisions. Hundreds of opponents to the bill convened outside the New Jersey statehouse before the vote, chanting "Kill the bill!" and "We won't stop."
If the bill had passed the state Senate and been signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey would have become the sixth state in the US to allow only medical exemptions to vaccine requirements, joining California, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and West Virginia.
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The bill must pass the full Assembly and the Senate version must be amended
In 2019, New Jersey lawmakers were set to pass a bill eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines. The bill was passed by the State Assembly, with the vote eliminating religion as an acceptable reason for children to avoid vaccines required for school attendance. The bill was passed with a 6-4 vote by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. The bill must now pass the full Assembly, and the Senate version, S-2173, would need to be amended and passed.
The bill, known as A-3818 or Bill A3818, seeks to remove the religious exemption as a reason for parents to refrain from vaccinating their children. Under current New Jersey law, students in public and private schools must be vaccinated for a list of diseases unless it is deemed medically risky or violates a religious belief. However, with measles outbreaks across the United States, including in New Jersey, there have been increasing calls for mandatory vaccination.
The bill has faced significant opposition, with hundreds of protesters converging outside the Statehouse before the vote. Opponents view the potential removal of the religious exemption as an erosion of personal rights and a hindrance to parental choice. They argue that parents should have the right to full informed consent when making medical decisions for their children. The anger and frustration surrounding the issue were evident during the Assembly health committee's approval process, with some vaccine opponents expressing their discontent vehemently.
Supporters of the bill, including the director of the New Jersey Immunization Network, Michael Weinstein, argue that it is designed to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a physician and bill sponsor, emphasized that the bill aims to ensure that no family suffers a loss that could have been prevented with a vaccine. Conaway also acknowledged the importance of balancing public health concerns with respect for religious freedom. The bill's proponents contend that most major religions do not oppose vaccines, and the religious exemption has been overly utilized or exploited.
While the bill has passed the State Assembly, it still needs to pass the full Assembly and the amended Senate version, S-2173, for it to become law. If successful, it would then go to Governor Phil Murphy for his signature. Governor Murphy would have the power to sign the bill into law or veto it.
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The bill clarifies statutory exemptions from mandatory immunizations
In 2019, New Jersey lawmakers appeared set to approve legislation that would eliminate religious exemptions for mandatory vaccines for school-aged children. The bill in question is NJ S801, which clarifies statutory exemptions from mandatory immunizations for students.
Under current New Jersey law, students in public and private schools must be vaccinated for a list of diseases unless it is deemed medically risky or it violates a religious tenet. However, in the context of a measles outbreak in Oregon and a flare-up in nearby Ocean County, calls for mandatory vaccination have grown. This has resulted in a push to pass legislation that would eliminate religious exemptions for vaccines.
The bill, NJ S801, clarifies statutory exemptions from mandatory immunizations for students. It was introduced in the Senate on January 12, 2016, and referred to the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee. The bill specifies that religious exemptions would no longer be accepted as a reason for parents to refrain from vaccinating their children. This means that, if passed, New Jersey would become the sixth state in the US to allow only medical exemptions for mandatory vaccinations.
Supporters of the bill, such as New Jersey Assemblyman Herb Conaway, argue that it is in the state's interest to prevent disease and death. They believe that the bill protects children from vaccine-preventable diseases without infringing on religious freedom or parental choice. However, opponents of the bill see it as an erosion of New Jerseyans' personal rights and argue that parents should have the right to full informed consent when choosing to vaccinate their children.
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The bill's advocates say it's designed to protect children from preventable diseases
In 2019, New Jersey lawmakers were set to pass a bill eliminating religious exemptions to vaccine requirements for school-aged children. The bill aimed to protect children from preventable diseases by ensuring they were vaccinated. The push to pass the legislation came after measles outbreaks around the US, including 19 confirmed cases of measles in New Jersey in 2019. The bill's advocates argued that it was designed to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases and improve public health. According to New Jersey Assemblyman Herb Conaway, a practicing physician and chairman of the Assembly Health Committee, "states have a compelling interest in preventing disease and death."
The bill aimed to remove the religious exemption that allowed parents to refrain from vaccinating their children if it violated their religious beliefs. Under previous New Jersey law, students in public and private schools were required to be vaccinated for a list of diseases unless there were medical risks or religious objections. However, the bill's supporters argued that the religious exemption was being overused, and it was necessary to act in the interest of public health. Assembly members Conaway and Johnson, who sponsored the bill, stated that they "didn't want to be in the business of deciding whether someone's religious beliefs were valid."
The bill faced significant opposition from those who viewed it as an erosion of religious freedom and parental choice. Some opponents gathered outside the New Jersey statehouse to protest the legislation, expressing their anger and frustration. They believed that mandatory vaccination interfered with a person's ability to make informed medical decisions and participate actively in their healthcare. According to Sarah Lane, a member of the New Jersey Coalition for Vaccination Choice, "parents deserve the right to full informed consent when choosing to have their children inoculated."
The bill still had to pass the full Assembly and the Senate version, which would also need to be amended. It represented a delicate balance between protecting public health and respecting religious freedoms. While the bill's advocates emphasized its focus on preventing diseases in children, opponents raised concerns about the potential infringement on personal rights and religious beliefs. The debate surrounding the bill highlighted the complexities and strong emotions involved in the mandatory vaccination discussion.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the bill to end religious vaccine exemptions in NJ hasn't passed.
The bill would eliminate religious exemptions as an option for parents who don't want their kids to be vaccinated.
If the bill became law, unvaccinated children would not be allowed to attend public schools.
The bill has been met with criticism and anger from those who oppose mandatory vaccination, who view it as an erosion of New Jerseyans' personal rights and an interference with a person's ability to make their own medical decisions.
