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SB 259

AN ACT RESTORING THE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TO THE IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Anne Dauphinais and 3 co-sponsors

Connecticut bill restores religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements, potentially lowering immunization rates and increasing communicable disease risk in schools.

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Public Health
#immunization #religion #schools
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Bill Summary · SB 259

Legislative bill overview

SB 259 would restore a religious exemption to Connecticut's school immunization requirements, allowing parents to opt their children out of mandatory vaccines based on religious beliefs. The bill comes after Connecticut eliminated its religious exemption in 2015, leaving only medical exemptions available. This represents a reversal of the state's previous public health policy direction.

Why is this important

School immunization requirements directly affect disease transmission rates in communities, particularly impacting vulnerable populations like infants and immunocompromised individuals who cannot be vaccinated. Connecticut's elimination of the religious exemption was specifically designed to maintain high vaccination rates and prevent outbreaks of preventable diseases. Restoring this exemption would lower overall vaccination coverage in schools and could affect public health outcomes.

Potential points of contention

  • Disease outbreak risk: Lower vaccination rates could increase susceptibility to outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other preventable diseases, particularly in schools with clustered exemptions
  • Balancing religious freedom and public health: Tension between protecting parental religious liberty and the state's interest in preventing communicable disease transmission to vulnerable populations
  • Definition and enforcement: Questions about what constitutes a legitimate religious objection and how broadly the exemption would be applied versus the specificity of actual religious teachings on vaccination

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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