The Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking the West Virginia governor to reconsider his recent decision to allow religious exemptions for childhood vaccines.
On Jan. 14, just one day after he was sworn in, newly elected Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced an executive order requiring religious exemption for childhood vaccines. Morrisey directed state officials to exempt public school children from vaccination requirements if their parents objected on religious grounds. Morrisey claims that his order complies with the Equal Protection for Religious Act passed in 2023 and that the existing vaccine mandate violates it. In reality, it’s a move that endangers public health and prioritizes religious beliefs over the well-being of children and communities.
It should be a matter of state pride that West Virginia historically has never granted nonmedical exemptions. Morrisey’s order is a dangerous policy reversal that panders to religious groups at the expense of science, safety, and the rights of others. Vaccines are among the most effective tools to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, protecting not only those vaccinated but also vulnerable populations, such as infants, seniors, and those with compromised immune systems. By allowing religious exemptions, Morrisey is undermining herd immunity, leaving communities more vulnerable to outbreaks and preventable suffering.
Vaccine opposition is most often politically motivated and not based on a sincerely held religious belief, FFRF points out. No major religious denomination in the United States opposes vaccination outright.
And FFRF reminds Morrisey that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ensures freedom of religion but does not grant anyone the right to endanger others or impose religious beliefs on public health policy.
“For over a century, courts have upheld mandatory vaccination laws without religious exemptions under the Free Exercise Clause and Equal Protection Clause,” FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor write to the governor. “There is a compelling government interest in requiring vaccination against a variety of deadly infectious diseases, and the state need not accommodate a parent’s religious beliefs if the accommodation compromises student safety, which it most certainly would in this case.”
Vaccines provide tangible health benefits and protect communities from an array of potentially deadly illnesses, FFRF emphasizes. Due to widespread vaccination, diseases like polio, measles and smallpox have been virtually eradicated in the United States.
FFRF urges the governor to rescind this harmful order and restore the state’s commitment to evidence-based public health policies. FFRF also calls on West Virginia lawmakers, public health officials and concerned citizens to oppose this reckless move and advocate for policies that protect the public good.
“Religious freedom is not a license to jeopardize public health,” adds Gaylor. “The governor’s actions are irresponsible and a clear violation of the separation of church and state. Public health decisions must be based on science and medical expertise — not religious dogma.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members, including members in West Virginia. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
