Religious and Philosophical Exemption
Worksheet
This
worksheet is to help
you put
together your reasons for refusing to immunize on religious
or philosophical grounds. There is no need to show this
sheet to anyone.
You do not need anyone's permission or verification to take
this kind of exemption.
Philosophical exemptions are fairly simple. All that is
required for you to be able to use this exemption is that:
(1) your state allows a philosophical exemption and (2) you
are philosophically opposed to immunization. There is no
state law that I am aware of that requires that you must
explain your philosophical reasoning to anyone.
Religious exemptions are a little more complicated. Many
states have a clause in their religious exemption that
requires the exemptor to be a member or an adherent of a
religious organization that has a written tenet opposing
immunization. This appears to mean that the exemptor must
either change religious affiliations or lie in order to
claim the exemption if they don't belong to such a
group.
Or, so it would seem! Fortunately,
that isn't the case.
Religious rights are guaranteed in the First Amendment of
the US Constitution. States must prove a compelling state
interest is at stake in order to ignore this. US Supreme
Court decisions have upheld the rights of individuals
seeking exemptions from immunizations based upon "personal"
religious beliefs. In Frazee v. Illinois Dept. of Security,
489 US 829, 1989, they ruled
a state may not deny an exemption simply because a
person is not a member of a formal religious
organization.
The Supreme Court has also noted that nontraditional
beliefs, including secular humanism, atheism, and
nontheistic faiths, are all "religion" for the purpose of
free exercise analysis. Fowler v. Rhode Island, 345 U.S. 67
(1953) held that it was "no business of the courts to say
what is a religious practice or activity for one group is
not religion under the protection of the First Amendment."
If you are challenged by your child's school, your
employer, or other authority, you don't have to explain
your reasoning, give your religious affiliation, or
otherwise prove your right to refuse on religious grounds.
If the state law requires the exemption in writing, all you
have to do is present your written form. Notarization is
required by some states.
Wording your exemption like the state law is helpful in
avoiding challenges, but not necessary. Explaining that US
law supersedes state law is pointless in most cases. Just
hand them the form and refuse to debate the issue.
So why this form?? It may help to clarify your reasons for
refusing vaccines and help you to see why your convictions
are allowable under the law. Here are some questions which
may help:
1. Do you believe that you have been gifted by God, a
Higher Power, a divine source with this child and that you
have the right to determine what is best for your child?
2. Do you believe that your religious convictions apply to
your child?
3. Do you believe vaccines can hurt your child's immune
system by by-passing all or most of the normal methods
created in your child's body to fight disease, thereby
ignoring the Master Plan?
4. Do you believe the use of toxic substances like mercury,
formaldehyde, aluminum sulfate, phenol, and other toxins
used in the manufacture of vaccines violates your
conviction about what kinds of substances should be
introduced into the human body?
5. Do you believe that the use of tissue from aborted
babies is morally wrong, especially when those tissues
obtained by intentionally aborting a child who had been
exposed to the disease?
6. Do you believe the use of biological waste (diseased
pus, fecal matter, urine, etc.) in vaccine manufacturing
violates your conviction about what kinds of substances
should be introduced into the human body?
7. Do you believe that the use of animal genetic material
to culture disease can, in fact, cause disease to cross
species and cause damage to human genetic material? Do you
believe this use of animal materials violates your
religious convictions?
8. Do you believe that living in fear of disease is healthy
or in keeping with your faith?
9. Do you believe good nutrition, good personal hygiene,
and sanitary living is more likely to keep your body
healthy than injecting it with toxins, waste, and disease?
10. Are you willing to buck the system and fight for your
rights and the rights of your child to abstain from
immunizations?
If
you answer "Yes" to questions 1 and 2 and any one of the
other eight questions, you are free to use a religious
exemption regardless of what religion (or none) you
profess.
Form created February, 2001 by Kathy Barr. You may contact
her at
AboundingHealth@aol.com if
you have questions or comments.
Contact
Information:
Kathy
Barr, CCD, CCCE, CCM, BE, PE, CVE, Traditional Naturopath
817-819-8457
