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New York State Eliminates Religious Exemptions From Vaccination For Schoolchildren
"I'm not aware of anything in the Torah, the Bible, the Qur'an or anything that suggests not getting vaccinated," said Democrat Jeffrey Dinowitz.
Health officials on Thursday closed two Williamsburg schools after inspections revealed they allowed unvaccinated students
Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement: "Science is crystal clear: vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect our children."
Lawmakers in New York voted in favor of eliminating religious exemptions for school vaccines for children, while the state is battling a measles epidemic. The law was pbaded Thursday night and caused chaotic scenes in the witness room as supporters of the fight against vaccination clashed with lawmakers.
Much of the New York epidemic has focused on orthodox Jewish communities.
Measles has been diagnosed in more than 1,000 Americans in 2019. According to health officials, the disease is resurging.
Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the United States, which effectively eliminated measles in 2000, could lose its "measles elimination status" while infections reach their highest level in 27 years.
The new New York law, which was pbaded by the Senate and Democratic House Chambers, prohibits parents from demanding religious exemptions that allowed their children to forgo the vaccinations that are normally required to go to the United States. # 39; school.
"I am not aware of any element of the Torah, the Bible, the Koran or anything that suggests not being vaccinated," said Bronx Democrat, Jeffrey Dinowitz, who sponsored The law project.
Senator Brad Hoylman added, "We are putting science ahead of misinformation about vaccines and defending the rights of immunocompromised children and adults, pregnant women and infants who can not be vaccinated without fault on their part."
Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ratified the bill just hours after it was pbaded by the legislator, said in a statement: "The science is perfectly clear: vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect our children . "
"While I understand and respect religious freedom, our first job is to protect public health and, by signing this measure, we will help prevent new transmissions and stop this epidemic.
Nearly three quarters of measles cases in New York occurred among orthodox Jews in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn, New York.
California, Mississippi, West Virginia and Maine have also banned exemptions for non-medical vaccines for schoolchildren. Similar exemptions are still allowed in the other 45 states, but some legislators have already taken steps to remove them.
The law allows students 30 days after entering the school to submit proof of their immunization. Without this proof, students may be prevented from enrolling.
Health officials on Thursday shut down two Williamsburg schools after inspections revealed that they allowed unvaccinated students to attend clbades.
The closure marks eleven schools that were closed after the mayor of New York City issued a prescription requiring vaccination of anyone attending, working or visiting a school in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
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