Parents Fake Religion To Avoid Vaccines

Religious Or Not, Growing Numbers Say They Are To Get Out Of Vaccinating Their Kids

(AP)  Sabrina Rahim doesn't practice any particular faith, but she had no problem signing a letter declaring that because of her deeply held religious beliefs, her 4-year-old son should be exempt from the vaccinations required to enter preschool.

She is among a small but growing number of parents around the country who are claiming religious exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children when the real reason may be skepticism of the shots or concern they can cause other illnesses. Some of these parents say they are being forced to lie because of the way the vaccination laws are written in their states.

“It's misleading,” Rahim admitted, but she said she fears that earlier vaccinations may be to blame for her son's autism. “I find it very troubling, but for my son's safety, I feel this is the only option we have.”

An Associated Press examination of states' vaccination records and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that many states are seeing increases in the rate of religious exemptions claimed for kindergartners.

“Do I think that religious exemptions have become the default? Absolutely,” said Dr. Paul Offit, head of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and one of the harshest critics of the anti-vaccine movement. He said the resistance to vaccines is “an irrational, fear-based decision.”

The number of exemptions is extremely small in percentage terms and represents just a few thousand of the 3.7 million children entering kindergarten in 2005, the most recent figure available.

But public health officials say it takes only a few people to cause an outbreak that can put large numbers of lives at risk.

“When you choose not to get a vaccine, you're not just making a choice for yourself, you're making a choice for the person sitting next to you,” said Dr. Lance Rodewald, director of the CDC's Immunization Services Division.

All states have some requirement that youngsters be immunized against such childhood diseases as measles, mumps, chickenpox, diphtheria and whooping cough.

Twenty-eight states, including Florida, Massachusetts and New York, allow parents to opt out for medical or religious reasons only. Twenty other states, among them California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio, also allow parents to cite personal or philosophical reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia allow exemptions for medical reasons only.

From 2003 to 2007, religious exemptions for kindergartners increased, in some cases doubled or tripled, in 20 of the 28 states that allow only medical or religious exemptions, the AP found. Religious exemptions decreased in three of these states - Nebraska, Wyoming, South Carolina - and were unchanged in five others.

The rate of exemption requests is also increasing.

For example, in Massachusetts, the rate of those seeking exemptions has more than doubled in the past decade - from 0.24 percent, or 210, in 1996 to 0.60 percent, or 474, in 2006.

In Florida, 1,249 children claimed religious exemptions in 2006, almost double the 661 who did so just four years earlier. That was an increase of 0.3 to 0.6 percent of the student population. Georgia, New Hampshire and Alabama saw their rates double in the past four years.

The numbers from the various states cannot be added up with accuracy. Some states used a sampling of students to gauge levels of vaccinations. Others surveyed all or nearly all students.

Fifteen of the 20 states that allow both religious and philosophical exemptions have seen increases in both, according to the AP's findings.

While some parents - Christian Scientists and certain fundamentalists, for example - have genuine religious objections to medicine, it is clear that others are simply distrustful of shots.

Some parents say they are not convinced vaccinations help. Others fear the vaccinations themselves may make their children sick and even cause autism.

Even though government-funded studies have found no link between vaccines and autism, loosely organized groups of parents and even popular cultural figures such as radio host Don Imus have voiced concerns. Most of the furor on Internet message boards and Web sites has been about a mercury-based preservative once used in vaccines that some believe contributes to neurological disorders.

Unvaccinated children can spread diseases to others who have not gotten their shots or those for whom vaccinations provided less-than-complete protection.

In 1991, a religious group in Philadelphia that chose not to immunize its children touched off an outbreak of measles that claimed at least eight lives and sickened more than 700 people, mostly children.

And in 2005, an Indiana girl who had not been immunized picked up the measles virus at an orphanage in Romania and unknowingly brought it back to a church group. Within a month, the number of people infected had grown to 31 in what health officials said was the nation's worst outbreak of the disease in a decade.

Rachel Magni, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother in Newton, Mass., said she is afraid vaccines could harm her children and “overwhelm their bodies.” Even though she attends a Protestant church that allows vaccinations, Magni pursued a religious exemption so her 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, who have never been vaccinated, could attend preschool.

“I felt that the risk of the vaccine was worse than the risk of the actual disease,” she said.

Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, one of the leading vaccine skeptic groups, said she discourages parents from pursuing religious exemptions unless they are genuine. Instead, Fisher said, parents should work to change the laws in their states.

“We counsel that if you do not live in a state that has a philosophical exemption, you still have to obey the law,” she said.

Even so, Fisher said, she empathizes with parents tempted to claim the religious exemption: “If a parent has a child who has had a deterioration after vaccination and the doctor says that's just a coincidence, you have to keep vaccinating this child, what is the parent left with?”

Offit said he knows of no state that enforces any penalty for parents who falsely claim a religious exemption.

“I think that wouldn't be worth it because that's just such an emotional issue for people. Our country was founded on the notion of religious freedom,” he said.

In 2002, four Arkansas families challenged the state's policy allowing religious exemptions only if a parent could prove membership in a recognized religion prohibiting vaccination. The court struck down the policy and the state began allowing both religious and philosophical exemptions.

Religious and medical exemptions, which had been climbing, plummeted, while the number of philosophical exemptions spiked.

In the first year alone, more parents applied for philosophical exemptions than religious and medical exemptions combined. From 2001 to 2004, the total number of students seeking exemptions in Arkansas more than doubled, from 529 to 1,145.

Dr. Janet Levitan, a pediatrician in Brookline, Mass., said she counsels patients who worry that vaccines could harm their children to pursue a religious exemption if that is their only option.

“I tell them if you don't want to vaccinate for philosophical reasons and the state doesn't allow that, then say it's for religious reasons,” she said. “It says you have to state that vaccination conflicts with your religious belief. It doesn't say you have to actually have that religious belief. So just state it.”

[andor3]

a lot of people fake religion for a lot of reasons. in fact, how can anyone say what is fake and what is not?

I know guys who went to church to meet women. And women who went to meet guys. A lot of them ended up married--are they faking?

anyway there are enough questions about side effects of vaccines that parents should be given the option. At least if some are (for religious reasons) then all have the same right.

[cdfoxtrot]

I feel sorry for the few that might have adverse reactions to a vaccine. However, there''s overwhelming scientific evidence that the vast majority of people are safer as a result. No-one should be able to exempt their kid on "religious" grounds, only on serious medical grounds (suppressed immune system, etc.). It''s totally unfair on everyone else for ill-informed stay-at-home moms (a.k.a. housewives) to to be able to play Russian roulette with other people''s lives in this way.

[ringading3]

Once Hillary is elected, the government will decided what is best for you and your child.

[ukclh33]

Again, with the moronic religious cults making the "normal" people sick, and these kids that don''t get immunized have to be home schooled and what are they being taught?? Not how to be a part of decent society that is for sure, they are taught how to be a withdrawn religious nut with suicidal/homocidal tendicies...

[duvina]

As a non-religious family that homeschools I would like to point out that you are grossly misimformed about the demographic of the majority of home-educators. With that said my 2 boys received vaxs that were pulled off the shelf with in 6 months of them receiving the shots. The vaxs were pulled because they proved to be dangerous.

One thing that the internet is doing is making it easier to get information and that leads alot more people to question what they are told. The expert syndrome is starting to loose it''s hold and poeple want to know why things are done the way they are. Vaxs aren''t perfect, they are heavily marketed because a drug company is making big bucks. People should be incouraged to look closer at the stuff they put in their bodies and question whether they not only need it but is it safe.

[standlee5]

There shoving too many vaccines at kids too early on. They should stick to the basics, MMR, DPT (clean version) and polio. These are important vaccines and parents should be held accountable for their decisions. These vaccines should be given at public schools. That''s the kind of universal health care I''d support.

[hobbes1831]

look back 100 years and see how many tens of thousands of lives have been saved....how many people didn''t have to watch their child choke to death from diptheria or whooping cough. ask a grandparent what it was like to see someone die from polio. how about the thousands that no longer get meningitis?

numbers don''t lie. even if vaccines did cause some of the problems people are worried about (and if they do...it''s a small, small percentage), it would be worth it.

not giving vaccines is like saying, well, i''m going to let my child fight off meningitis naturally because he might get diarrhea or have an allergic reaction to a "toxin" in the antibiotic. i love that word the uneducated use...."toxin" very specific...

[boatquack]

For those who "don''t want to" or believers in some internet expert; go to Africa, central America etc and see what happens when just one child becomes ill. Hundres die or are so severely disabled they might as well be dead. It is not the one child they usually get well, but the ADULTS who were not vaccinated take it to work and then see the disaster. For each child that survives chickenpox, measles there are two more who are crippled by them. Are they safe? Walking across the street is not safe all the time but imagine not doing so. It has been awhile since the U.S. has had a scourage but it is coming and it will be from something that could have been prevented.

[standlee5]

Not a good time to avoid vaccines. Maybe 20 years ago but this country could face an epidemic if too many aren''t vaccinated. Bring back the old days where they give the vaccines at schools.

[bobgee_1999]

Well, it''s tough to argue with the medical expertise of a guy like Don Imus.

[susanhelit]

You want to not vaccinate your kid, and risk their death? Well - I can''t stop you (although I think it''s a foolish risk to take with a child''s life). But don''t you even think about sending them to school to expose my child to all those diseases that have killed so many millions in the past, that should be long gone.

[standlee5]

Here''s a sad story too, Susan. A family''s child had a reaction to the dirty DPT and ended up with cerebral palsy so of course they didn''t vaccinate the next child and they were stationed in another country and the unvaccinated child contracted pertussis as an infant and died. Tragic story. It''s scary to vaccinate kids but it''s even scarier not to.

[susanhelit]

My grandmother lived in those times. She knows what it''s like before vaccines. Sad, sad, scary times. So many dead children. We''ve forgotten, and we''re letting the boogeyman scare us without remembering what horrors vaccines prevent.

I had a chiropractor who survived childhood polio. He was lucky - he lived. He walks twisted up, all kinds of pain - but he lived.

[keithle1]

"Religious exemptions" to vaccinations? Funny. What next? I never heard of that when I was in school.

I guess it''s ok to have your unvaccinated kid at school in contact with other kids.

"..Christian Scientists and certain fundamentalists, for example - have genuine religious objections to medicine.."

Woah. That makes sense. Christian Scientists are way out there. Kids don''t have any choice of course.

[grammawhamma]

Rachel Magni, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mother in Newton, Mass., said she is afraid vaccines could harm her children and %u201Coverwhelm their bodies.%u201D Even though she attends a Protestant church that allows vaccinations, Magni pursued a religious exemption so her 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, who have never been vaccinated, could attend preschool.

Keep these non vaccinated kids at home if you are so worried about their health...don''t endanger other kids.
SusanHelit...good point. Maybe these parents should walk through an "old" cemetery and see all the headstones of children that died before age 4...there are many many of them!

[dmhphils]

You need to visit a country in the "3rd" world out there that doesn''t have vaccines for diddley-squat and then remember how it was when polio was rampant in America.

[cosmic-one]

This story is incredibly biased.This quote says it all-" Even though government-funded studies have found no link between vaccines and autism,..." Our gov is run by these pharmecuetical companies that make billions from vaccines.

[eggy1620]

Go ahead & let these parents opt out. It will be natural selection in action. These kids may eventually be killed or rendered infertile by infectious disease, then they will not be able to pass their families%u2019 irrational fears onto the next generation.

[extremophil]

Ya don''t need vaccinations when ya got JEEsus!

[jowand]

Everyone FAKES religion. Religions are NOT real.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by george2221 at 06:59 AM : Oct 18, 2007

You need a rabbis shot

[jowand]

This story is incredibly biased.This quote says it all-" Even though government-funded studies have found no link between vaccines and autism,..." Our gov is run by these pharmecuetical companies that make billions from vaccines.
Posted by cosmic-one at 06:55 AM : Oct 18, 2007

Our country has being run by idiots for the past 40 years, who "we the people" voted into office. Congress make the laws and right now Congress is breaking too many of them

[hwy71so]

I attend church 3 times a week. I participate in the services and I trust in God''s grace to see me through my life.

I do not have a problem with my kids or myself receiving these vaccines. They''ve proven themselves. Anyway, what has the truly religious, faithful, have to worry about if they truly believe in the promise?

However, "for the one that believes it a sin and does it anyway, to him(her) it IS sin." (rough quote)

Its hard to believe one would lie to get out of doing something good for their kids...

[sunseeker6]

All States should be for a valid medical reason only! I vaccinate my children, because I love them and want them to have a healthy life. I read the reports about the possible link to autism and vaccines. It was when the MMR was combined with other shots there was a risk. Guess what I did? I took my kids in for the MMR shot at a different time. Yeah, it required two trips to the Doctor, not one, but so what. I do NOT appreciate these parents putting my child at risk also. As CDC said, they also make a choice for the child next to theirs. They want to risk their childrens lifes thats fine but there will be Hell to pay if my children develops one of these dieases because some poor excuse of a parent didn''t vaccinate their child.

[hwy71so]

"Everyone FAKES religion. Religions are NOT real.

Posted by george2221 at 06:59 AM : Oct 18, 2007"

So, tell me George, what keeps you rising in the morning and participating in humanity? Why not just give up if there''s no hope for tomorrow?

You may spread your lies. That is your choice. But, as for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.

[dvillegas43-2009]

I have no problem with parents'' opting out of vaccinations for their children. But because of their actions and decisions, they are putting the general population at risk, not to mention their own kids. So I say if they choose to opt out they should have to pay more for health insurance and larger co-pays since their kids will be sick more often and longer than a child who has had vaccinations. We shouldn''t have to bear their costs because of their mind set. My two bits.

[Rusty_Fender]

relgion was created by a couple of lazy guys who figured out that if they claimed they spoke for "GOD" they could get food, chicks, whatever heaped on them if they''d just pretend to talk to the "god" to give the superstitious rabble better food, better crops, better weather. The con artists made a show of it and the rabble believed it - it started in the days of the cave man and continues today! Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, Oral Roberts, etc are just carrying on the tradition of superstition.

ALL religion is a sham and people are deluded if they believe that some "god" is going to hand them whatever they want if they "pray" - talking to "beings" that don''t exist is a form of insanity.

It breeds hatred and distrust and preys on the poor and uneducated.

[eggy1620]

dvillegas43 & sunseeker6: The only children these parents are endangering are their own. If your kids have been vaccinated, you need not worry about them contracting an infectious disease from exposure to an unvaccinated child. That is the whole point of vaccines.

[rational_1]

dvillegas43 & sunseeker6: The only children these parents are endangering are their own. If your kids have been vaccinated, you need not worry about them contracting an infectious disease from exposure to an unvaccinated child. That is the whole point of vaccines.
Posted by eggy1620 at 08:51 AM : Oct 18, 2007

Okay, point taken. But suppose they don''t have adequate health insurance and society at large is forced to pay for their kids'' health care because of their stupidity. Theirs is a phenomenally selfish philosophy. They basically reason that because everyone else is going to vaccinate their kids (and take whatever risks might be associated with that) then they get the benefits of not having to worry about diseases as well as not having to worry about the possible risks of vaccination. If everyone took this approach it would lead to plagues like we used to have in the 14th century.

Just get your kid vaccinated - there''s no link between autism and vaccinations. Check out this review paper that summarizes findings in this area if you don''t believe me.

[hwy71so]

You know? I would be offended if I knew you knew what you were talking about. Perhaps. But, even if you think you know what you''re talking about, your assault is not against me, its against the Creator.

I hope you figure it out before its too late.

[myidoncbs]

I find it interesting that the religionists typically cannot correctly spell even very common words. Could there be a connection between illiteracy and religious fervor?

[hwy71so]

The fact that these kids are not being vaccinated provides a "breeding" ground for these viruses. Even with vaccination, they can STILL be contracted. The vaccines just minimize the chances. For a non-vaccinated person to expose himself to others increases the chances these others will contract a disease.

[hwy71so]

"I find it interesting that the religionists typically cannot correctly spell even very common words. Could there be a connection between illiteracy and religious fervor?

Posted by MyIDonCBS at 09:09 AM : Oct 18, 2007"

You''re offended by something that''s positive in this life and all you can do is attack a person''s ability to properly spell a word? You poor thing. Carry on...

[batmanhatguy]

All these anti-religious posts... you''re all missing the point of the article. It also sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder. This is not logical discourse, it''s religion-bashing. It''s intolerant to the extreme.

I was shocked by the doctor''s instructions that parents should just lie to the government. "It just says you have to state it, not that you have to actually believe it.." If you claim to believe something you don''t, you''ve perjured yourself. It''s against basic ethics, and detracts from your personal honor and integrity.

[tcoleman12]

Just wait until HilaryCare hits...This lady will be tracked down by the NeedleNazis and the vaccinations will be administered, like it or not.
If you "want" the "mandated" healthcare "offered" by Hilary...you will take your medicine!

[ozone-baby]

As a parent I too worry about all the vaccinations given to children. approx 20 before the age of 2, seems extreme. Non-the-less, as parents we also want to protect our children so it is a catch 22.
I swallowed my concerns and got my kids their shots and fortunately all is well, but still one has to wonder how their natural immune systems can build themselves if they are never given the chance.
Using religion as an excuse is ONLY ok if that is your TRUE belief.

[godseyesore-2009]

What stupid people. Their children will pay.

[brianbwb-2009]

Parents Fake Religion To Avoid Vaccines

They also fake religion to make money, they fake religion to have ***, they fake religion to avoid taxes, and they fake religion to make war.

So what else is new?

[tucano2]

Merck''s MMR vaccine caused my child''s deafness. Poor overseas quality assurance and a total lack of corporate morality the primary factors, the secondary factor no teeth at all in law and no real problem for Merck to put out shoddy goods and simply pay off the few cases lost as if money would restore hearing. Shameful.

[timkasemodel]

Dr. Paul Offit (a vaccine patent holder) said the resistance to vaccines is %u201Can irrational, fear-based decision.%u201D

I say that the push to over-vaccinate children is %u201Can irrational, fear-based decision.%u201D

Since the fact that mercury is in vaccines was exposed to the public in 1999, many parents have decided not to put blind trust in the CDC and people like Dr. Offit, who benefits from blind trust. They have become educated on the development of, study of and promotion of vaccines, and many have not liked what they learned. Their choice to not vaccinate their children is an educated one done not out of fear, but out of what they see as common sense.

Want to see a fear based decision? Go to a flu shot clinic.

[michellem99-2009]

Step up to the plate and have them get their shots.Their the same peopple who will not get a flu shot. If their a shot that is not safe than yer don''t get it. Sick kids pass their sickness about.

[zweedledee]

If you are scared that your children will get an illness from school then get them vaccinated. If your child is vaccinated then what have you got to be worried about? If you are worried that your children will get the illness despite the vaccine, then what was the purpose of the vaccine??
Don't you worry your pretty little heads about weather my children are vaccinated or not, because whether in school or in the grocery store, there is no way that someone is going to vaccinate my children after my daughter experienced a seizure at 9 months due to a vaccine. The seizure was wrote off as a freak occurrence by her pediatrician and was never reported.
If you think your children are susceptible at school, why wouldn't you also think that about the nursery at the gym or the church? Again, if your children have been vaccinated then why would you be concerned?