Federal Court Upholds Connecticut Law Eliminating Religious Exemptions For Childhood Vaccines

A Connecticut law eliminating religious exemptions for childhood vaccines is constitutional and legal, according to a federal appeals court. In a Friday ruling, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed the claim that refusal to accept religious exemptions for vaccinations was unconstitutional. “[I]t is not enough for a law to simply affect religious practice; the law or the process of its enactment must demonstrate ‘hostility’ to religion,” stated the court. “[E]xempting a student from the vaccination requirement because of a medical condition and exempting a student...