A bill that would end Massachusetts’ religious exemptions from mandatory children’s vaccinations is expected to attract strong opposition during hearings scheduled this morning.
The bill is one of several under consideration today by the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health that aim to boost the Commonwealth’s childhood immunization rates. Childhood vaccinations have become an increasingly important public health issue as preventable illnesses like measles and polio, once virtually eliminated in the United States, have begun to reappear.
In addition to ending religious exemptions, the bill would require schools to report vaccination data to the state. More than 200 of the state’s kindergarten classes, about 15 percent, didn’t report any vaccine data this school year.
Also under consideration are bills that would mandate HPV and Hepatitis A vaccinations for children and would allow youth under 18 to be vaccinated without parents’ consent, if a health care provider can confirm the child understands the risks of not being vaccinated.
Religious exemptions are rare, with just 813 issued to kindergarteners in the most recent school year, but over the past two decades have become more common, and are by far the most frequently claimed exemptions in Massachusetts.
The state reported 112 medical waivers for kindergarteners this year. Those waivers can be necessary for children with allergies to some kinds of vaccine, neurological conditions, and immune conditions.
Those opposed to an end to religious exemptions argue the change would limit religious freedom and obstruct children’s access to an education. They note the percentage of children exempted from at least one vaccination for medical or religious reasons, about 1.4 percent of kindergarteners as of this year, is much smaller than those who are unvaccinated and do not have exemptions, about 4.1 percent of kindergarteners, according to health department data.
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Andres Vargas, a Democrat from Haverhill, said opponents are trying to divert attention from religious exemptions, which he considers almost always an excuse used by people actually motivated by misinformation about vaccines. He noted his bill and others under consideration will address the problem of kids without immunizations or exemptions by requiring schools to report detailed data on vaccinations. Reporting is currently voluntary.
Massachusetts requires children in kindergarten through 12th grade to be vaccinated against infectious diseases such as tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella, according to the state Department of Public Health. The state does not require children to receive a COVID vaccine.
Just 0.6 percent of Massachusetts kindergarteners overall have no records of immunization and either religious or medical exemptions to at least one vaccine, the department reported, but the rate of unvaccinated children varies widely by county.
In Suffolk County, just 0.2 percent of kindergarteners have an exemption and no documented vaccinations in the 2022-2023 school year. The state’s highest rate of exempted kindergarteners without vaccinations was in Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands, with 2.3 percent.
Jason Laughlin can be reached at jason.laughlin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jasmlaughlin.