Rhode Island has long championed personal freedoms, including the right to
religious expression. However, a troubling trend has emerged: an increasing number of
parents are claiming religious exemptions to bypass standard vaccinations required for
their children's enrollment in public schools. In the 2023–2024 school year, thousands
(1,000+) of students in Rhode Island were granted exemptions from vaccination
requirements. Notably, these exemptions are often not based on genuine religious beliefs
but are used as a loophole to avoid immunization mandates.
This misuse of religious exemptions poses significant public health risks.
Measles, for instance, is a highly contagious disease with a basic reproduction number
(R₀) between 12 and 18, meaning each infected person can spread the disease to 12–18
others in a susceptible population. To prevent outbreaks, a community immunity
threshold of approximately 95% vaccination coverage is necessary. When vaccination
rates fall below this level, herd immunity weakens, endangering vulnerable individuals
who cannot be vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons.
The consequences of declining vaccination rates are evident. As of early 2025, the
United States has reported 483 confirmed measles cases across 19 states, a 70% increase
compared to the total cases in 2024. Texas has been particularly affected, accounting for
87% of these cases. While Rhode Island has maintained high vaccination rates, the rise in
exemptions threatens this status and increases the risk of outbreaks.
Let’s be clear: there are very few religions with formal doctrines that oppose
vaccination. Yet, exemption numbers continue to climb, not because religious beliefs
have changed, but because the process to claim one is absurdly easy. In Rhode Island, all
it takes is a signed form—no verification, no affiliation, no explanation. This creates a
loophole wide enough to drive a bus through, and some are doing just that.
This isn’t just a matter of personal choice. Vaccine requirements and mandates
exist to protect entire school communities, especially those who *can’t* be vaccinated
due to legitimate medical reasons. When herd immunity weakens, the most
vulnerable—infants, immunocompromised children, and others—are put at risk.
Let’s call this what it is: abuse of a system designed to protect religious freedom.
It undermines trust in our public health institutions and creates unnecessary divisions
between science and faith. It also unfairly shifts the burden of responsibility onto families
who follow the rules and rely on a safe school environment. In some states, parents aresubject to medical neglect laws and potentially face serious consequences legally for both
falsifying documents and not protecting their children from dangerous viruses.
Rhode Island lawmakers must act. At minimum, the state should require more
stringent documentation for religious exemptions—perhaps a notarized personal
statement or evidence of consistent religious practice. Other states have already tightened
their policies, and we should follow their lead.
Parents should, of course, have the right to make informed medical decisions for
their children. But that right should not include the ability to exploit religious liberty as a
loophole to ignore sound, science-based public health policy.
Let’s protect genuine religious freedom. Let’s protect our kids. And let’s close this
dangerous and unnecessary loophole before it costs lives. I’d like to see our Department
of Health Medical Director and politicians join forces to make the necessary changes
immediately to protect our children. I’ve done everything possible legally to protect my
children so join me in doing the same.