Religious 'Rents Rage Against The Vaccines

Shutterstock/itsmejust

Some Queens parents who are against vaccinating their kids on religious grounds have sued the city to get rid of the policy which keeps kids with communicable diseases out of school. "It is my opinion that resorting to vaccinations demonstrates a lack of faith in God, which would anger God and therefore be sacrilegious," said Fabian Mendoza-Vaca, the father of two students at P.S. 107, who sued the city last week in Queens Supreme Court to overturn principals’ decisions to send his kids home.

"We don't want anything being put into our bodies at all," said Nicole Phillips, the mother of two other children at P.S. 188 who have missed several weeks of class since November because they haven't gotten vaccinations. "We'd rather rely on our natural immune system and our faith in God. This is about my children's rights." Neither Phillips nor Mendoza-Vaca would specify what their religious background is, nor whether Dr. Jenny McCarthy is their practicing physician.

According to Patricia Finn, the lawyer for both Queens parents, thousands of unvaccinated kids attend schools throughout the state every day by invoking a state law that offers exemptions for religious reasons. But some city principals have tossed out kids for weeks by citing a schools Chancellor’s regulation, which gives them the power to exclude unvaccinated kids when others have contracted communicable diseases like measles, mumps or chicken pox.

Last year, a Rockland County family filed suit against the New York Archdiocese after a Catholic preschool wouldn't accept their child because she has not been fully vaccinated.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Ben Yakas in News on February 8, 2012 5:16 PM

Comments [rss]

Guest

Oh Mr. Fabian Mendoza-Vaca why don't you realize there is no such thing as a "god" and the concept was invented to keep ignorant people ignorant?

Gertie

I know it makes everyone feel good to beat up on the religious, but they aren't the only folks promulgating this nonsense; hell, they probably aren't even in the majority anymore. The anti-vax scene is equal-opportunity ignorance, so let's get to some equal-opportunity bashing, shall we?

Ken Reibel

Good idea. I was researching state's that have introduced bills in 2012 that make personal belief exemptions for vaccines easier to obtain. I wanted to know if it was mostly a Democratic or Republican thing. Turns out it's both. The S. Dakota legislature rejected a bill yesterday that would have made opting out as easy as writing a note to the school. It was sponsored by an ultra-conservative Christianist Republican who confused mercury with aluminum during her testimony to the health and human services committee. She even brags on her website that her family doesn't have health insurance. I guess God will provide.

Same thing in Kansas. Vaccine rejectionism is framed as freedom from government encroachment on parental decision making. One witness even made a 6th Amendment defense, arguing that forcing vaccines is the same thing as a warrantless search.

Then I looked at a bill pending in Vermont, sponsored by 16 Democrats. There it's mostly based on bad science, and a belief that if you eat enough granola you will poop out the pathogens.

edgie168

homeopathy works! just ask steve jobs.

owait

lolololol

Katerine Correa

let them die or live.. its their decision when they turn 18 to go thru with the vaccine..

AZVern

No single credible, scientific, peer-reviewed study has ever shown any link between autism, and vaccine, ever.

FU Boy

You think they care if a source is credible? "Jesus never took a vaccine in the bible" is all they need to accept that vaccines are bad.

Of course, Jesus never shit in the bible either. Wonder how they're doing with the constipation...

souper_crackers

Aren't they supposed to be keeping their church separate from our public schools?

CurmudgeonNYC

Wouldnt it be nice if religion did not get in the way of common sense? Fucking morons.

smorrebrod

How about this? Y'all religious people can do whatever you want and the government doesn't care because they don't care about you. You can't take advantage of what they government gives you.

Peanut_Butter

Those people are useful. We can test new diseases on them. With their faith and awesome natural immune systems, they should be okay with it.

Elizabeth Stockwell

Hey you know what also causes children to have birth defects? German Measles. AKA Rubella, as in Measles, Mumps and Rubella, a standard vaccine for many years. But see, if a pregnant woman is exposed to someone with Rubella, it can lead to devastating birth defects. Interestingly enough, there's been an increase in these cases in places like Boulder CO, home to many of these idiots, which now has one of the lowest vaccinated rates in the country. Way to protect the children!

yappy00

"It is my opinion that resorting to vaccinations demonstrates a lack of faith in God"

Oh. Fuck. Off.

theonlyseven

Why are these parents even sending their kids to public school in the first place? Dont they know that their kids are going to be exposed to all sorts of anti-God ideas like, the universe was not created in 6 days, or the moon does not create its own light?

Elizabeth Stockwell

Gah! Anti Vaxx people have to be the most entitled fuck nuts around. Endangering their children, other people's children, unborn children because some jackass, WHO WAS PROVEN TO BE A FRAUD, got Jenny McCarthy to be his spokesmodel.

"Tim Osman"

Please move beyond all of that stuff with Jenny McCarthy stuff there is so much more to all of this. If you just get your news and information from the usual mainstream sources this is not surprising so consider looking elsewhere.

shogan83

I tend to get my information regarding vaccinations and other medical news from peer-reviewed scientific journals. That way I'm not at the whim of someone's conjecture repeated through the blogosphere.

"Tim Osman"

Good for you! Do you prefer The American Journal of Shills or Pharmaceutical Sponsored Quarterly?

shogan83

It's a shame that not even empirical data can pull someone out of a conspiracy trap.

What do you do if the data doesn't support your currently-held assumption? You dismiss it as being 'bought out'. That's the confirmation bias at work, people.