Marilyn Moore

State Senator Marilyn Moore Releases Statement on Bill that Eliminates the Nonmedical Exemption to the Immunization Requirement Voted Out of Public Health Committee

State Senator Marilyn Moore (D-Bridgeport), member of the Public Health Committee, is releasing a statement on a bill voted out of the committee today. Senate Bill 568, An Act Eliminating The Nonmedical Exemption To The Immunization Requirement, would eliminate the religious exemption from immunization requirements in K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and child care facilities.

“The bill is a working document,” said Sen. Moore. “My decision to vote in favor of this bill is based on facts and the common good of children in Connecticut. Vaccine’s prevent and protect not only ourselves, but those around us.”

Currently under SB 568, these immunization requirements would not apply to any child in a K-12 or child care setting who previously claimed a religious exemption and who are enrolled in seventh grade or above. For children enrolled in sixth grade or below who previously claimed a religious exemption to vaccination requirements, the bill allows the parents or guardians to present and adhere to an acknowledged declaration from a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse that specifies which immunizations are recommended and that the child is in process of receiving such immunizations. For any child who is in sixth grade or below but did not present a written declaration stating such immunizations are in process, the bills require such child to comply with the immunization requirements on or before September 1, 2022 or within 14 days after transferring to a school.

According to the CDC, on-time vaccination helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are safe and effective. Immunity is the body’s way of preventing disease. When a baby is born, his/her immune system is not fully developed, which can put him/her at greater risk for infections. Vaccines reduce a child’s risk of infection by working with his/her body’s natural defenses to help safely develop immunity to disease. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it after it occurs.