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Marie Thompson
Brother Griffin
English 252
31 May, 2015
The Quest to Find Balance Between Public Health and Religious Freedom
Imagine that your son comes home from school one day with a slight cough. The
cough worsens through the night and by morning he struggles to catch his breath between
coughs. You take him to the doctor and he is diagnosed with whooping cough, Whooping
cough? I know he was vaccinated! you say and the doctor informs you that probably
someone in his class may not have been vaccinated. Even though his case may be mild by
comparison to someone who has not been vaccinate, he is miserable and says that when he
coughs, he tastes blood (Damp 2014). This actually happened to a boy I know.
A recent outbreak of measles has occupied headlines in the United States and brought
to light the importance of vaccinating children. In fact, the measles outbreak has spawned the
creation of California Senate Bill 277 which requires all children to be vaccinated prior to
entering kindergarten and overrides any personal or religious beliefs. Notwithstanding the
importance of being adequately vaccinated to protect all, the decision to vaccinate should rest
with the parents, in concert with their pediatrician, which vaccines their child should or
should not receive; not with a government agency.
The Importance of Vaccines
Vaccinating against disease has been successful at almost eliminating many childhood
diseases and many parents feel that no longer do they need to immunize their child. In fact in
the year 2000 measles had been considered eliminated in the United States (cdc.gov). Some

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parents, however, are worried that the vaccines cause autism and this has been proven to be
untrue. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the symptoms of autism seem to
appear around the same time that the first Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is
administered (Understanding MMR).
Unfortunately, as effective as vaccines are, there is no guarantee that a child will not
contract a disease; the vaccine will only help reduce the seriousness of the illness. For
example, the boy at the beginning of this paper who contracted whooping cough had already
been vaccinated, yet he caught the virus. Though he felt miserable, his symptoms were much
lighter than had he not been vaccinated. In todays global society the importance of being
adequately vaccinated cannot be stressed enough. Measles outbreaks still occur in other parts
of the world and are brought into the United States by those who are either visiting or
returning to this country.
The idea of vaccinating against contagious disease has been around for centuries.
According to the History of Vaccines, as early as 1000 AD the Chinese experimented with
trying to create an inoculation against smallpox. Many men and women worked to create a
way to alleviate the misery caused by contagious diseases. Not always did the people
embrace the idea of vaccination right away. Around 1718 when Lady Mary Montagu traveled
to Turkey and discovered that the people were performing variolation every autumn, she
determined that she would return to England and encourage the procedure there. People were
not lining up to receive the immunization against smallpox at first, but it slowly grew in
popularity as word spread about the effectiveness of the vaccine (Timelines). Immunizations
have proven to be highly effective in helping maintain the publics health, however only one
disease, smallpox has been completely eradicated (What Would Happen, par. 4).

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California Senate Bill 277
Enter California Senate Bill 277 (SB277) which amends the existing law requiring
students to be immunized prior to entering public schools. Up to this point parents could optout of inoculating their child based on personal or religious beliefs or because of medical
reasons. Senate Bill 277 eliminates the personal and religious beliefs exemption while
maintaining medical exemptions (SB277). Senators Pan of Sacramento, and Allen of Santa
Monica introduced the bill on February 19, 2015 After an outbreak of measles in December
at Disneyland sickened 136 Californians (Krieger). According to the Mercury News on May
14, 2015 the bill passed the Senate and is now getting ready to be voted on in the State
Assembly. Many parents were in an uproar over the idea of being forced to immunize their
child even if religious beliefs were involved in their decision to not vaccinate.
Because of the opposition to the Bill, amendments have been made to appease those
concerns such as grandfathering in those students whose parents have chosen not to vaccinate
because of religious beliefs. Interestingly, with the potential of thousands of children who
have not had their vaccines by first grade waiting until the beginning of seventh grade to
receive their shots and those in seventh grade who may not even need to be vaccinated, SB
277 might not even go into effect until the year 2020 (Krieger). One might question if SB
277 is necessary at all.
The list of immunizations that are required today has grown considerably over the
years. According to the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics the number of
immunizations recommended is fourteen, given at various stages of a childs growth. In 1970
the number recommended was seven (History of Vaccines). Including booster shots, a child
could receive up to 41 doses over an 18 year period with the first dose being received prior to

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leaving the hospital at birth. At a childs two-month well check with the doctor six different
vaccinations are now recommended (Recommended). No wonder so many parents are
either opting to not vaccinate their child or delaying some of the vaccines. Parents should
have the right to do what is best, in their opinion, for their child. Besides, delaying a vaccine
is not the same as opting out of receiving it. For instance choosing to wait to receive a
vaccine such as the chickenpox vaccine (varicella) until the child is older, the parent is just
allowing the child to develop their own immunity until a later age. Medical exemptions will
still be allowed. Medical exemptions could include allergic reactions to an ingredient in the
vaccine or the health of the child is such that the vaccine might do more harm than good.
These and other decisions are best left to the parents and their doctor.
Religious Freedom
One of the questions that are raised with the proposal of Senate Bill 277 is if the
government is overstepping their bounds when it comes to personal and religious beliefs.
Religious freedom is a basic right of all mankind. The First Amendment states in part,
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; (The First Amendment). This action of forcing parents to immunize their
children against their religious beliefs does not sound as though it is in keeping with the First
Amendment. If SB 277 passes, That would make California one of only three states -- the
others are Mississippi and West Virginia that doesnt allow personal or religious
exemptions to vaccine laws (Krieger).
Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints have recently raised a voice of warning regarding the importance of
maintaining religious freedom. Elder Robert D. Hales in quoting the 134th section of the

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Doctrine and Covenants said, No government can exist in peace, except such laws are
framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience
The civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience [or] suppress the
freedom of the soul (Hales). The 134th section of the Doctrine and Covenants was first
revealed in 1835 and expresses the Churchs belief of what civil government is for and how
members of the Church should operate within those governments. As parents and citizens of
the United States we have the responsibility to stand up for what we believe to be correct and
true.
At the end of April 2015, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles spoke at a meeting in a Brazil Mosque regarding the need for Vigilance and
cooperation to resist threats to religious freedom, he continues: Remarkably, in 2013,
roughly 5.5 billion people 77 percent of the worlds population lived in countries with
high or very high restrictions on religious liberty, up from 68 percent just six years earlier
(Christofferson). Elder Christofferson explains, A robust freedom is not merely what
political philosophers have referred to as the negative freedom to be left alone, however
important that may be. Rather, it is a much richer positive freedom freedom to live ones
religion or beliefs in a legal, political, and social environment that is tolerant, respectful, and
accommodating of diverse beliefs (Christofferson).
The oppression of religious freedom is not new or exclusive to those of the Christian
faith. History has shown just how atrocious man can treat his fellow man. After WW II, in
1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Clearly, everyone has the right to live their religion and practice it as they see fit. This
includes making decisions regarding health and well-being.

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Educating Parents
Education is the key to finding a balance between the publics safety and maintaining
personal and religious beliefs in how we treat our children. Education about how quickly a
disease can spread among those who are not vaccinated and the benefits of inoculation. For
instance, according to Vox.com in 2014 an Amish community in Ohio suffered a major
outbreak of measles when a missionary to the Philippines returned, unknowingly carrying
measles. All those who became ill had not been vaccinated, In the 1990s. [Ivan] Miller, [a
furniture store owner struck by measles] explained, two Ohio kids allegedly got sick after
they took the MMR shot, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. Rumors about
vaccine safety spread through the Amish community like a virus. That put a scare in us and
we quit, Miller says. This made it incredibly easy for measles the most contagious virus
known to man to move through this cluster of unvaccinated individuals (Belluz).
Not only education about the importance of vaccinating but, also education about the
timing of vaccines and what ingredients are contained therein as well as additional proof that
immunization does not cause autism. The CDC has a Parent Information page available
which is divided by topic and by the age level a parent might be interested in. The History of
Vaccines website also contains a page for parents explaining the many misconceptions
surrounding vaccines, how the recommended schedule of vaccines was developed, along
with interactive demonstrations about how immunizations work (Timelines). Doctors are
always happy to field the concerns and questions of parents. They should be the ones to
support parents in deciding which course of action is best for their child in regards to when
immunizations should be given.

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Interestingly, there is an exemption clause in SB 277 that allows parents to not
immunize their child, if that child is enrolled in a home-based private school (SB 277). If
more parents chose the option to not inoculate and homeschool their child, the results of SB
277 could be the opposite of the desired outcome of every child being protected by vaccines.
Instead of protecting every child in the community, more could be left unprotected if parents
choose to homeschool their child.
Vaccines have proven to be a wonderful invention in helping prevent and in some
cases eliminate disease. With a world that seems to be coming closer through technology and
transportation, the need for adequate immunization is important, but not at the expense of
losing the basic freedom to exercise our personal and religious beliefs. Education is the key
to assist parents in making informed decisions about the importance and need to properly
vaccinate, not force. Those who are best suited in making such personal decisions about a
childs health are the parents in consultation with their doctor, not a bureaucratic government
agency.

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Works Cited
Belluz, Julia. How an Amish missionary caused 2014s massive measles outbreak, vox.com
29 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 May 2015.
Christofferson, D. Todd. A Celebration of Religious Freedom The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. 30 April 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/1-celebration-of-relgious-freedom.
Damp, Connor. Interview. 20 June 2014.
Hales, Robert D. Preserving Agency, Protecting Religious Freedom. Ensign May 2015;
111-113.
Krieger, Lisa.: Vaccine exemptions: California Senate overwhelmingly passes SB 277,
abolishing most opt-outs San Jose Mercury News, 19 May 2015. Web. 21 May 2015
<www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_28115461/vaccine-exemptions:-california-senateoverwhelmingly-passes- sb-277-abolishing-most-optouts>.
Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 0 Through 18 years Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Jan
2015. Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html.
SB 277 Public Health: vaccinations. California Legislative Information. Official California
Legislative Information. 27 May 2015. Web. 20 May 2015.
Smith, Joseph, Jr. Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, 1981. Print.
The First Amendment Legal Information Institute. Cornell Law School, 2015. Web.
23 May 2015. http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment.

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Timelines The History of Vaccines And Educational Resource. The College of
Physicians of Philadelphia, 31 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 May 2015.
http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/all.
Understanding MMR Vaccine Safety Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2013. Web. 27 May 2015.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-mmr-pdf.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights [Official Document], in Children and Youth in
History, Item #139, http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/139 (accessed 30 May
2015). Annotated by Kriste Lindenmeyer.
What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations? Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 May 2014. Web. 21 May
2015. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm.