RFK Jr. And Sussman File Lawsuit Challenging End To Religious Exemption For Vaccinations

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: NY 1


A lawsuit challenging the state’s end to the religious exemption for vaccinations was announced on Wednesday by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., along with longtime legal activist Michael Sussman.

Kennedy and Sussman said the suit was filed on behalf off parents who opposed the measure, approved last month in the state Legislature amid a measles outbreak in Brooklyn and Rockland County with more than 1,000 reported cases.

“To deprive families of the rights to freedom of religious expression, parental rights, and the right to either a public or private education, the state must demonstrate a ‘compelling state interest’ that the state has failed to prove here,” Sussman said in a statement.

The law was approved after an extraordinarily close vote in the Democratic-led Assembly, which was followed by an angry, profanity-laced protest from opponents of the legislation.

Read more: https://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2019/07/rfk-jr-and-sussman-file-lawsuit-challenging-end-to-religious-exemption-for-vaccinations/

[Maggiemayhem]

1. This is why this country is in so much trouble

Believing in woo and not scientific studies.

[Igel]

5. There's woo and there's woo.

We got measles eliminated, along with numerous other diseases, while we had religious exemptions. But they were narrow exemptions. You had to have somebody from a legally incorporated organization vouch for your compliance with the other tenets of a set of beliefs that included "no vaccinations". In other words, it showed a commitment to your belief system. You join a church (etc.) this week and the following week ask for the exemption form to be signed, the minister (etc.) would almost always say no.

In the '80s and '90s this exemption was extended to everybody. You don't like vaccinations for your child because you think the mercury (that's not in the vaccine) causes autism (at age 5 months) when injected at 12 months, you get your exemption. You don't have to have a reason--if you missed the appt. with the doctor and didn't reschedule by the school enrollment, you could be exempted. If you had some other reason--you're vegan, and the vaccine's made with eggs--no matter. You're exempted.

Individuals are individuals. Why should the next person not get an exemption for her kid when I can't get one for my kid? Instead of confronting the indignation and say, "Look, they have to show a commitment to something else than, 'This is what I think for the moment'," it was decided that momentary doubt and long-term commitment were equivalent. Even worse, it was privileging religious belief over non-belief, when obviously non-belief should be privileged.

Still, you know, that wasn't a problem. Measles was judged eliminated under precisely that set of rules and regulations. Then the autism-related anti-vaxxer group (mostly secular, often (D), often (R)) got involved. Distrust of government, distrust of science and technology, just general distrust undermined vaccinations. We love government when it gives us things, helps us, and hurts those we don't like or aren't like. When government starts telling *us* what to, well, then.

The "exempt for any reason" suddenly included those exempt because they believed Hg or Al or just allopathic medicine in general was evil, those who weren't sure that maybe there was some animal product in that vaccine, those who didn't like GMO bacteria being involved or who were afraid that some unfertilized egg was abused in the making of the vaccine. And the numbers increased greatly.

When the anti-vaxxer campaign got going, it was bad--the wonders of social media and "I trust my cousin Jon more than the mainstream media!" Look at how HPV vaccination went in the Netherlands. There was very high compliance for a number of years. Suddenly the rumor spread that it was dangerous--not mostly among the religious or vegans, etc., just generally--and you wound up with a precipitous drop in compliance. In the course of a year, the compliance on the part of the population targeted for vaccination each year dropped by 30% or more. It took a rather extensive public relations campaign to reverse the decline, and the compliance rate for the current target population last I checked (last winter, I think) still hadn't returned to its pre-panic level. It may never reach most of those who weren't vaccinated on schedule.

In the end, the solution for many seems to be not increasing social cohesion and social capital, but mere coercion. "You will do this."

[hlthe2b]

2. So much public good will scuttled with such totally misplaced efforts.

I was hoping that his own equally prominent family members calling him out for this recently might have him amenable to a reassessment of his views. Obviously not.

[LiberalFighter]

3. The rest of us have a right to be safe from diseases and unnecessary death.

What is the compelling interest of idiots to pose a risk to the rest of the population?

[barbtries]

4. my bet is many anti vaxxers

claim a religious exemption when it's bullshit. they just refuse to believe science.

[jberryhill]

6. "I believe in imaginary shit, so therefore I don't have to act rationally"

Why do we place "religious beliefs" in a more privileged position than actual facts?

That's just stupid.

[RobinA]

7. We Privilege

all kinds of beliefs over facts these days.

[SansACause]

8. I recently got the new MMR vaccine

I was vaccinated as a kid a long time ago, but there was some question as to the effectiveness of that one compared to the new one. Measles started popping up in areas all around me, so I decided to get vaccinated again, because I don't want to get infected because people like RFK, Jr. are morons.

[DonViejo]

9. Locking...

The consensus of Forum Hosts feel this article is appropriate for the General Discussions Forum and/or the New York Group but, it's not important news of national interest.