Vaccination exemptions in North Carolina have faced scrutiny recently. Parents in North Carolina can exclude their children from immunizations for medical or religious beliefs, but not personal beliefs or philosophy,
according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
A North Carolina licensed physician may certify a required immunization is or could be detrimental to an individual’s health because of contraindications in the vaccinations. The contraindications must be those adopted by the Commission for Health Services, but the State Health Director may grant a medical exemption to a contraindication not on the list upon request by the physician.
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For the religious exemption, if the bona fide religious beliefs of the parent or guardian of a child are in conflict to the vaccination requirements, they may write a statement of the beliefs in opposition and give it to the school, college, child care center, or other facility.
The religious exemption does not necessitate notarization, signature from a religious leader, preparation from a lawyer, or approval from the state.
Religious exemptions have increased over the years. In the 1999-2000 school year, 126 students were documented as being excluded for religious beliefs. For the 2013-2014 school year, 1,050 students were exempt,
according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Because of the increase, North Carolina senators sponsored a bill that would remove the
religious exemption, WRAL-TV reported. If it had gone into law, students would be required to receive all vaccinations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unless granted medical exemption.
Outrage over violations of parental rights and constitutional rights to the freedom of religion sparked debate over the bill, which eventually led to the senators dropping the proposal.
In Forsyth County, 146 students were suspended in for not being properly vaccinated at the beginning of this past school year, Theo Helm, spokesman for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, told the Winston-Salem Journal.
A law passed this year requires seventh-graders to receive the meningococcal conjugate
immunization, according to Your Daily Journal.
In Rockingham, North Carolina, however, more than a third of the students have not yet received the vaccination, which could make them suspended until they do.
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