NVIC Vaccine News

Defending the Religious Exemption to Vaccination

By Barbara Loe Fisher
Published June 28, 2016 in Rights & Ethics


 

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Every summer, Americans celebrate the 4th of July to mark the day in 1776 when the American colonies agreed they would no longer be ruled by an aristocracy. The Declaration of Independence begins with, “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” That Declaration was a rejection of oppression by a ruling aristocracy and the pledge that this country would uphold the unalienable natural right to life and liberty that belongs to every person.  

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240 years later, we find ourselves again fighting for freedom from oppression because we have allowed the rise of a new ruling aristocracy, an elitist class of privileged citizens who want the legal right to judge, shame, segregate, discriminate against and punish fellow citizens who do not share their beliefs.  Nowhere is this truth more self evident than in the oppressive implementation of one-size-fits-all mandatory vaccination laws that fail to respect biodiversity or human rights and crush citizen opposition, in violation of the informed consent ethic and freedom of thought, speech, conscience and religious belief. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

When a ruling aristocracy uses the heel of the boot of the State to create fear and oppress average citizens for their beliefs, there is no other word for it but tyranny. The appropriation of unaccountable authority by medical trade and the militarization of public health in the 21st century should be of concern to every person who values life and liberty. 26 27 28 29

U.S. Supreme Court: Vaccines are “Unavoidably Unsafe”

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with what Congress said in 1986, and that is:  government licensed vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe” and pharmaceutical corporations should not be liable for vaccine injuries and deaths. 30 31 Today, when your child dies or is permanently brain injured after vaccination or the vaccine fails to protect your child, you cannot hold the vaccine manufacturer or the doctor who gave the vaccine accountable in court in front of a jury of your peers.

With this free pass, in 2011 and 2012 the multi-billion dollar vaccine machine powered by medical trade, industry and government rolled into the legislatures of Washington, Vermont and other states with the goal of eliminating religious and conscience vaccine exemptions that have been in place in the U.S. for more than half a century. 32  NVIC has worked with families and other grassroots organizations to protect vaccine exemptions in 15 states but, in 2015, Vermont lost the conscience exemption and California lost the personal belief exemption protecting both exercise of conscience and religious beliefs. 33

Vaccine Machine Invades Virginia

This year, the vaccine machine invaded Virginia.  A proposed law was introduced in the House of Delegates in January 2016 to strip away not just the religious vaccine exemption, but also the medical exemption for all children, whether they are being homeschooled or are enrolled in public or private schools. 34 An individual physician would no longer exercise professional judgment when granting a child a medical exemption but would become a government agent enforcing the narrow one-size-fits all federal vaccine contraindication guidelines 35 36 approved by the Centers for Disease Control, which means that 99.99 percent of children would not qualify for the medical vaccine exemption in Virginia. 37

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Virginia families pushed back quickly and hard against the draconian bill that would make Virginia the state with the most oppressive forced vaccination law in the country. 38  Although the bill was temporarily withdrawn this year by the attorney lobbyist and obstetrician sponsoring it, 39 similar legislation is expected to be reintroduced in 2017 after a report is released by the Joint Commission on Healthcare this fall.

Virginia has a very tiny 1.1 percent vaccine exemption rate for kindergarten children, which is lower than the national vaccine exemption rate of 1.7 percent. In fact, Virginia ranks in the top 10 states with the lowest vaccine exemption rates. According to the CDC, only 305 kindergarten children in Virginia have a medical vaccine exemption and 891 children have a religious vaccine exemption. 40

So why has the vaccine machine attacked a state with one of the lowest vaccine exemption rates in the country to persecute 1200 kindergarten children and their parents?

Freedom of Conscience, Religion First Became Law in Virginia

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For the answer, you have to look no further than the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the principles upon which the United States of America was founded. Virginia is the hallowed ground where freedom of thought, conscience and religion was first defined as a natural right and was codified into American law. Virginia is the place where George Mason and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Bill of Rights and the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom and where, over the years, the General Assembly has enacted the strongest religious freedom and parental rights legislation in the country.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution approved by Congress in 1789 says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

That First Amendment was based on the Virginia Bill of Rights adopted by the Virginia General Assembly before Congress approved the U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights.

Section 16 of the Virginia Constitution states that:

  1. “All men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience;” and
  2. “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever,” and
  3. “The General Assembly shall not prescribe any religious test whatever” on citizens.

This means it is a violation of the Virginia Constitution to eliminate the legal right to exercise religious beliefs according to the dictates of conscience, or to force citizens to belong to an organized religion or a particular church in order to exercise conscience and religious beliefs.

Virginia’s 1786 Act for Religious Freedom

There is another law in Virginia that protects freedom of religion. Virginia’s Act for Religious Freedom was adopted by the Virginia Assembly in 1786, three years before the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution was approved.

This historic Act is very clear about what religious freedom means, stating in the first sentence that, “Almighty God hath created the mind free.”

Here Virginia law is saying that freedom of thought was given to mankind by God.

The Act goes on to say that, “All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burdens, or by civil incapacitations… are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion...”

Here Virginia law is saying that a human being has a natural right to freedom of thought, conscience and religious belief and must not be coerced or punished for exercising it.

The Act accurately points out that legislators and rulers are “fallible,” that they do not have the right to assume “dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others….”

Here Virginia law is emphasizing that human beings, including government officials, are not infallible and that religious faith is individual, a matter of conscience, and that legislators do not have the right to impose their ideology, opinions and beliefs on others.

Even more strongly, the Act states that, “our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.”

Here Virginia law is pointing out that individual opinions about math and science differ, just as opinions about religion differ, and an individual’s exercise of religious belief must not limit the individual’s exercise of civil rights.

Finally, in a ringing defense for freedom of thought and religious liberty, the Virginia Religious Freedom Act declares without qualification that, “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities…..We are free to declare, and do declare, that the rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present, or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right.”

When Virginia law talks about natural rights, it is referring to what today are often described as human rights. Among the human rights recognized globally is the right to freedom of conscience and religion. Conscience can be defined as the part of your mind or an inner sense that tells you what is right or wrong and guides you to a morally right action.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 after World War II states that, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

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When explaining religious freedom to his friends and colleagues, Thomas Jefferson said that freedom of religion belonged to, “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.” 41 Jefferson believed in a Creator but he did not identify with an organized religion nor was a member of a church, and his reference to “Infidel of every denomination” likely was an affirmation of freedom of thought, which also includes the freedom to be agnostic or an atheist and have no religious beliefs.

In other words, freedom of religion encompasses freedom of thought and conscience and applies to all personal beliefs about religion.

Additionally, the ethical principle of informed consent to medical risk taking has been defined as a human right since 1947. 42 43 44 Today, informed consent is globally recognized as central to the ethical practice of medicine. 45 Informed consent means you have the right to be fully informed about the benefits and risks of a medical intervention, such as use of a pharmaceutical product like vaccines, and be free to make a voluntary decision without being coerced or punished by anyone for the decision you make.

Your human right to exercise informed consent to medical risk taking without being coerced or punished for the decision you make is very similar to the language in the Virginia Religious Freedom Act that protects citizens from being punished by government officials for exercising the natural right to freedom of conscience and religious belief.

Virginia Reaffirms Religious Freedom Act in 2007

In 2007, the Virginia Assembly reaffirmed the Religious Freedom Act of 1786 with a major caveat and that is, “No government entity shall substantially burden a person’s free exercise of religion… unless it demonstrates that application of the burden to the person is (1) essential to further a compelling governmental interest and (2) the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.”

This caveat sets an appropriately high bar for substantially restricting a person’s free exercise of religious belief. For example, if the state argues it has a compelling governmental interest to prevent an infectious disease epidemic, government officials must still demonstrate that mandatory vaccination laws are “essential” to achieve that goal, and then, further demonstrate that those laws are being implemented in “the least restrictive” way.

Vaccine Freedom of Choice: A Human Right

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When we defend the natural right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religious belief, we are not called upon to talk about different scientific hypotheses explaining how and why vaccines can cause injury and death, or why the CDC is unaccountable and a whistleblower should be subpoenaed by Congress to testify about the risks of a particular vaccine. The arguments about vaccine science and who is right and who is wrong about it will be argued for the next century.

Our responsibility is to defend without compromise the human right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religious belief for ourselves and our minor children for whom we are legally responsible, without being discriminated against and punished with denial of education, health care, employment or other societal sanctions that violate our civil rights. 

There are three general statements about vaccination in the U.S. that cannot be disputed, which are:

  1. Like prescription drugs, vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry a risk of injury, death and failure. 46 47 48 49
  1. There are genetic, biological and environmental high risk factors that make some individuals more susceptible to vaccine reactions, but doctors cannot predict who will be harmed. 50
  1. The U.S. Congress and Supreme Court have declared government licensed and mandated vaccines to be “unavoidably unsafe” and more than $3 billion dollars in federal vaccine injury compensation has been awarded to children and adults under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. 51

These three basic facts about vaccination affect your human right to exercise freedom of thought, conscience and religious belief: 

Because vaccines can injure or kill and doctors cannot predict who will be harmed, and the U.S. government has acknowledged that fact and indemnified pharmaceutical corporations and doctors, while awarding financial compensation to children and adults who have been injured or died from government licensed vaccines, 52 you have the human right to exercise informed consent, freedom of conscience and religious belief when making a decision about vaccination for yourself or your minor child.

Judeo-Christian Tradition Affirming Duty to Follow Conscience

The medical practice of vaccination is only 220 years old and came thousands of years after the founding of the world’s major organized religions (Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism). There is no major religion with a written tenet opposing vaccination.

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However, there is a strong Judeo-Christian tradition affirming the duty of those who believe in God to follow their conscience.  If you are a Christian, you can find passages in the Bible, which affirm your beliefs as a Christian to follow your conscience and the guidance given to you by God through prayer. Prayer for guidance is central to many Protestant denominations. 53

For example, there is Timothy 1:5 - “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

There is Proverbs 3:5 - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

There is Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

There are many more Bible verses that affirm the need for Christians to have faith in God and be guided by scripture and follow their conscience.

Also, the definition of moral conscience is discussed in detail in the catechism of the Catholic Church, which holds that, “Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescription of the divine law.” 

In even stronger terms, the Catholic Church warns that, “a human being must always obey the certain judgment of his conscience. If he were deliberately to act against it, he would condemn himself.”

If you are of Jewish faith, your foundation is the old testament of the Bible and the Torah, which emphasize that man is created in the image of God and that each individual human being has worth and a right to equal and loving treatment. Preservation of human life and reliance on God is central to the teachings of Judaism.

There is Psalm 146 -  “Halleluyah! Praise HASHEM, O my Soul! I will praise HASHEM while I live, I will make music to my God while I exist. Do not rely on nobles, nor on a human being for he holds no salvation. When his spirit departs he returns to his earth, on that day his plans all perishPraiseworthy is one whose help is Jacob’s God, whose hope is in HASHEM, his God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, Who safeguards truth forever…”

Whatever your sincere religious beliefs, you do not have to be a member of an organized religion or church to hold them and defend your human right to exercise freedom of conscience. In America, you should not have to live in fear that you will be judged and punished for exercising freedom of thought, conscience and religious belief.

Assault on Cultural Values and Beliefs in America

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Mandatory vaccination laws that violate human rights are the tip of the spear of the political assault on cultural values and beliefs in America, including freedom of conscience and religious belief. 54 This assault began in the 20th century with the tragically flawed 1905 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Jacobsen v. Massachusetts 55 56 that used the pagan ethic of utilitarianism 57 58 59 to devalue the life of the individual and endorse state forced vaccination. That morally corrupt legal decision served as the basis for another morally corrupt Supreme Court ruling in Buck v. Bell in 1927, when Virginia doctors were given the green light to sterilize Carrie Buck in an endorsement of state eugenics laws based on the cruel utilitarian “greater good” rationale. 60 61

The 1905 U.S. Supreme Court justices may have given state health officials the legal authority but they will never possess the moral authority to demand that individuals sacrifice their lives for what the State has defined as the “greater good.” Laws that fail to protect freedom of thought, conscience, religious belief and informed consent are a violation of human rights and the false ethic of utilitarianism should never be used to implement public health policy in America.

Virginians Ready to Defend Human and Civil Rights

The ruling aristocracy operating the vaccine machine has chosen Virginia as the battlefield to wage a war on religious liberty because they know that if freedom of thought, conscience and religion can be gutted in Virginia, it can be gutted anywhere.

The citizens of Virginia who understand what is at stake stand ready to defend human and civil rights on the hallowed ground where freedom of conscience was born in America.

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Because the right of the State to tell us what to do to our bodies and the bodies of our children ends where our right to protect our lives and our children’s lives begins.

Because we believe that every life is important and we will not look the other way while those vulnerable to vaccine injury and death are being sacrificed in the name of the greater good.

Because when the State considers one of us to be expendable, then we are all considered expendable.

We are the daughters and sons of liberty. And we will defend freedom of thought and conscience and religion in this great country of ours because that is what it means to be an American.

Before it is too late, browse our site and go to NVICAdvocacy.org to learn how to become a vaccine freedom advocate in your state.  

It’s your health. Your family. Your choice.

References:

1 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Rejects ‘Personal Belief’ Immunization Exemptions. AAFP News May 4, 2011.
2 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). Eliminating Personal Belief Exemptions from Immunization Requirements for Child Care and School Attendance. NACCHO Board of Directors Statement of Policy July 2011.
3 Ropeik D. Refusing vaccination? Risky behavior puts others in danger. Morning Sentinel Aug. 20, 2011.
5 Wang S. More Doctors ‘Fire’ Vaccine Refusers. Wall Street Journal Feb. 16, 2012.
6  Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). IDSA’s Policy on State Immunization Mandates. IDSA Board of Directors June 23, 2012.
8 Association of Immunization Managers (AIM). Position Statement on Personal Belief Exemptions from State Vaccination Mandates. AIM Executive Committee Apr. 10, 2014.
9 American Academy of Pediatrics. State Advocacy Focus Childhood Immunizations. AAP Position. April 2014.
10  Gupta S. Harsh Treatment for Vaccine Refusers. Everyday Health July 28, 2014.
11 Berezow A. Jail 'anti-vax" parents. USA Today Jan. 28, 2015.
13  Siriam SK. Anti-Vaxxers, Like Drunk Drivers, Are A Danger To Us All. Huffington Post Feb. 2, 2015.
15 Caplan A. Revoke the license of any doctor who opposes vaccination. Washington Post Feb. 6, 2015.
16 Stoker R.Refusing vaccination is anti-social, not irrational. Washington Post Feb. 10, 2015.
17 Mathews J. Unvaccinated Families’ Addresses Should Be Made Public. Time Magazine Feb. 11, 2015.
18 Kluger J. Facebook Must Shut Down the Anti-Vaxxers. Time Magazine Feb. 19, 2015.
19  American Medical Association (AMA). AMA Supports Tighter Limitations on Immunization Opt Outs. AMA June 8, 2015.
21  American College of Physicians (ACP). State Immunization Laws Should Eliminate Non-Medical Exemptions Say Internists. ACP July 29, 2015.
22  American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).  Immunization Exemptions. AAFP Board of Directors September 2015.
23  Fisher BL. Despite High Child Vaccination Rates, CDC Calls for Shaming Schools. The Vaccine Reaction Sept. 2, 2015.
24 Hodges JG, Campos-Outcalt D. Legally Limiting Lies About Vaccines. Jurist Nov. 17, 2015.
25  Infectious Diseases in Children. Elimination of vaccine exemptions serves children's best interests. Healio Nov. 23, 2015
27 Buse K, Harmer H. Power to the Partners? The politics of public-private health partnerships. Development 2004; 47(2): 49-56.
28 Fisher BL. Letter to Col. Robert P. Kadlec, M.D. (USAF, ret.), Staff Director, Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness, U.S. Senate. Nov. 15, 2005.
29  deWael A. Militarizing Global Health. Boston Review Nov. 11, 2014.
30  Supreme Court of the United States. Bruesewitz v. Wyeth. Feb. 22, 2011; Also Justice Sotomayor with whom Justice Ginsberg joins, dissenting.
32  Fisher BL. Americans Fight for Vaccine Choices. NVIC Newsletter May 14, 2012.
33  Richardson D. The Fallout from California SB277 – What Happens Next? NVIC Newsletter  Aug. 5, 2015.
34 NVIC. Briefing Paper on Virginia HB1342. NVIC.org Jan. 21, 2015.
37 Fisher BL. Blackmail and the Medical Vaccine Exemption. NVIC Newsletter May 18, 2015.
38  Gregory M. Immunization Debate Hits Virginia. WAVY-TV Jan. 28, 2016.
39  Jameson C. Virginia, your vaccine exemptions are safe for now. The Vaccine Reaction Feb. 1, 2016.
41 University of Chicago. The Founder’s Constitution Vol. 1, Amendment 1 (Religion), Document 5. From The Works of Thomas Jefferson. Collected and edited by Paul Leicester Ford. Federal Edition. 12 vols. New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904--5.
42  Grodin MA, Annas GJ. Legacies of Nuremberg – Medical Ethics and Human Rights. JAMA 1996; 276(20): 1682-1683.
43  Annas GJ, Grodin MA. The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code. Oxford University Press 1992.
45  Nir E. Informed Consent. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2011 (Fall Edition).
46  Institute of Medicine Vaccine Safety Committee. Adverse Events Associated with Childhood Vaccines: Evidence Bearing on Causality.  Executive Summary. Washington, D.C. The National Academies Press 1994.
47  Institute of Medicine Committee to Study New Research on Vaccines. DPT Vaccine and Chronic Nervous System Dysfunction: A New Analysis. Conclusion (p. 15). Washington, D.C. The National Academy Press 1994.
50 Institute of Medicine Committee to Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines. Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality: Evaluating Biological Mechanisms of Adverse Events (p. 57-102), Increased Susceptibility (p. 82). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press 2012.
51 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) Data and Statistics. Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) June 1, ealH2016.
53 Okholm DL. Prayer. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology 1996.
54  Fisher BL. The Vaccine Culture War in America: Are You Ready? NVIC Newsletter  Mar. 8, 2015.
55  Jacobsen v. Massachusetts. 197 U.S. 11(1905). LSU Law Center.
56  Mariner WK, Annas GJ, Glantz LH. Jacobsen v Massachusetts: It’s Not Your Great Great Grandfather’s Public Health Law. Am J Pub Health 2005; 95(4): 58-590.
57  Anderson K. Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number. Probe Ministries International 2004.
58  Kay CD. Notes on Utilitarianism. Wofford College 1997.
60  Supreme Court Upholds Sterilization of the Mentally Retarded – Buck v. Bell, 274 U.S. 200, 475 Ct. 584, 71L, Ed. 1000 (1927). LSU Law Center.
61  University of Virginia. Eugenics: Buck v Bell, The Test Care for Virginia’s Eugenical Sterlization Act. Claude Moore Health Science Library 2004.
 

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18 Responses to "Defending the Religious Exemption to Vaccination"
Commenter Name
Allan Jablon
Posted: 6/30/2016 9:40:41 AM
Barbara, Thank you again for your insightful and courageous stand against the unethical moneyed interests working to deprive Americans of our freedoms. As always, your analysis is both exceptionally articulate and accurate. Given that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written to protect us from such abuses of power, it is amazing that these fascist alliances have been able to suppress our rights to such a degree. Allan Jablon
Commenter Name
Paula Youmell, RN
Posted: 6/30/2016 10:42:11 AM
Thank you for this article and reminding me to stay on top of this issue... for the good of all.
Commenter Name
maria
Posted: 6/30/2016 11:24:38 AM
Our Religious freedoms are being attacked on all fronts. We need to fight the people that want to put man's law above God's law.
Commenter Name
Taylor rose
Posted: 6/30/2016 11:30:05 AM
As a living creature you have a god given right on EVERYTHING pertaining to your body, nobody has a right over that especially the government
Commenter Name
Patricia Regalia
Posted: 6/30/2016 1:49:32 PM
Thank you! This is so important. If anyone is looking for a safe alternative to vaccines. Please visit my site. In health,
Commenter Name
Katherine O'Neal Duran
Posted: 6/30/2016 2:55:04 PM
What a wonderful, wonderful article! EVERYONE should read and internalize these principles. If you don't know what your rights are, then you cannot defend them. However.... Respectfully, there are 2 serious criticisms which will only solidify the intent of this article. 1). "Because vaccines can injure or kill and doctors cannot predict who will be harmed, and the U.S. government has acknowledged.....you have the human right to exercise informed consent, freedom of conscience and religious belief when making a decision...[etc.]" Correction: YOUR RIGHT TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS is not contingent upon the safety of vaccines OR the government's or anyone's else's opinion of them. The word "because" needs to go, and in between, the word "and" should be inserted before "you have the right" in order to fundamentally correct the meaning of this statement. 2) "Because the right of the State to tell us what to do to our bodies and the bodies of our children ends where our right to protect our lives and our children’s lives begins." Correction: "The State" does not have "rights," at all and it's only legitimate function is to secure the rights and liberty of the individual. States may not lawfully dictate what individuals can and cannot do with their bodies or the bodies of their minor children, period. Just because a "law" is made "legal" does not mean it's "lawful." CA's SB 277 is "legal," but since it is not only not in pursuance of, but is wholly repugnant to, the US Constitution (the actual LAW that defines and limits govt), it is not "lawful." NO LAW REPUGNANT TO THE CONSTITUTION CAN BE VALID. There are no "degrees" of constitutionality...if one part of the law is unconstitutional, it is wholly unconstitutional. "No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution can be valid." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 78 "Since an unconstitutional law is void, the general principles follow that it imposes no duties, confers no rights, creates no office, bestows no power or authority on anyone, affords no protection, and justifies no acts performed under it ... A void act cannot be legally consistent with a valid one. And unconstitutional law cannot operate to supersede any existing valid law. Indeed, insofar as a statute runs counter to the fundamental law of the land, it is superseded thereby. ... No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to enforce it." -16 Am Jur 2d, Sec 177 late 2d, Sec 256 Enforcement of SB 277 is 100% dependent upon the ignorance (and acquiescence) of the people, both the citizenry and the elected servants in government who unlawfully intend to enforce it. -KLD
Commenter Name
Lynn Barton
Posted: 7/1/2016 7:39:04 AM
Thank you for this masterful piece. I would only add that, although it is ironic and heartbreaking that seat of American liberty now threatens to become the worst tyranny in the country, we have had a terrible battle in Oregon and California last year enacted a draconian forced vaccination law. They are coming in every state; and it seems to be doctors (who tend to have an elitist perspective) leading the charge.
Commenter Name
Julia Hill, RN, ND
Posted: 7/25/2016 3:31:52 PM
Thank you for championing the religious and human rights of all Virginians. 1. Robbing Virginians of Religious Freedom and 2. Billions of Forced Vaccine Revenue is the hidden agenda behind Virginia's mandatory vaccine bill. Pharmaceuticals and the hospitals and doctors they control are attempting to make Virginians' beliefs in God subservient to their greed based vaccination plan. God takes second place to no one, not even billionaire bullies who push politicians to inject God-rejecting bills into state and federal legislation. God-fearing men and women will stand as one to defeat any bill that dares strip us of our religious freedom and rights to protect our children and ourselves.
Commenter Name
Julia Hill, RN, ND
Posted: 7/25/2016 3:33:46 PM
I, Julia Hill, approve the message I just sent. Julia Hill
Commenter Name
Julia Hill, RN, ND
Posted: 8/2/2016 2:00:51 AM
My family and friends saw VaxXed tonight. We live in the greatest country in the world, yet we are seeing our people made weak, their immune and nervous systems ravaged by vaccines, and our dear children made autistic, sterile, paralyzed, in permanent pain, having chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. or killed. Our agendas are our most precious children and our religious and human rights. Vaccine schedules are Pharmaceutical's agendas. But they forgot something. This is our beloved country and we will fight, stand upon the solid ground of God's Word, and see the victory only God can give. We stand upon God's magnified Word (Psalm 138:2) and know God is good always and always wants the best for us and our country. In John 10:10 Jesus Christ said, "The thief comes not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." As an ambassador for Christ and an American, committed to helping others live the more abundant life, I refuse to sit back and watch as vaccines are assaulting our people. Every 7 minutes a child is diagnosed with autism. Children currently receive 49 vaccines by age 6 per pharmaceutical dictates to the CDC who dictate to us. Our bodies are sovereign, given by God to us to steward, NOT given to pharmaceuticals or the CDC or the state. We each count and are important, absolutely vital to this effort as we give our time and resources to preserve our religious and human rights to protect our families. Let us not draw back in fear, but praise and trust God, come together, strategize, be iron sharpening iron for one another (Proverbs 27:17). *Meet at Charter Colony Martins dining (Tues Aug 2nd at 7pm * Schedule a VaxXed movie in your area. God to Gathr.us * Get all your friends to go see it--its not about their opinion or our opinion, it is scientific facts, research! * Meet at Senate Room A of the Legislature building (201 N 9th/Broad St in General Assembly building in Richmond, wearing red, Wednesday August 3rd at 12:30. God bless you.
Commenter Name
Julia Hill, RN, ND
Posted: 8/2/2016 2:03:14 AM
God is on our side. The victory is ours. We will not go away. We love our country and its constitution. We stand shoulder to shoulder with NVIC and all the others fighting for freedom and for our children's health.
Commenter Name
Finn
Posted: 9/13/2016 8:28:02 PM
Good article, God bless us all.
Commenter Name
Kim
Posted: 9/18/2016 4:19:14 PM
My son has had a medical exemption since he was in First grade which was in 2003. He is now a freshman at Liberty University here in Virginia. They have Medical and Religious exemptions to print out from their website . Problem is on the forms it states in red you can not use either if your in nursing or medical tracks.What?? No one seems to have answers so far. Due to that my son changed his field from Biomedical to undecided..That gives me two years to figure out how to keep them from requiring him to get several vaccinations. How can this be? He lives at home and commutes to school. I thought this would help us be exempt? So sad what we are dong to our children and how difficult it is becoming to protect them. Thank you for your hard work! Editors Note: You should contact the School administrator for clarification. This exclusion is generally instituted by the medical/healthcare facility that students are sent to for practicums. They set vaccination standards for participation in their facilities that are outside the school property and control. You have probably seen instances of healthcare workers being fired for failure to receive an annual flu shot? These are deemed "Conditions of employment" not necessarily state rules. This is common to most if not all medical study programs. Hope this helps clarify. Your health. Your family. Your choice.
Commenter Name
Lowell Hubbs
Posted: 10/11/2016 12:42:59 PM
All states should have both the philosophical and religious exemptions. Where there is significant risk, there must be choice. They deny the obvious risks, and that is what makes it criminal. Biblical Reasons Not to Vaccinate, (Mary Tocco) http://childhoodshots.com/biblical-reasons-vaccinate/ God Does Not Support Vaccines http://www.livingwhole.org/god-does-not-support-vaccines/ INDESCRIBABLY DISGUSTING VACCINE INGREDIENTS SO WHAT ABOUT THE FLY IN OUR SOUP? It may not do any harm at all, especially if it has been well heated in the soup! However, all injected substances including insect fragments bypass the body’s intricate defense mechanism. The same substances which are harmless when ingested are shown to be extremely detrimental to health when injected. This is learned by medical students and others, but many doctors, health authorities and other vaccine promoters appear to ignore this basic fact. Read more: http://birthofanewearth.blogspot.com/2012/01/indescribably-disgusting-vaccine.html 9 Questions For The Pro-Vaxers http://www.vacfacts.info/9-questions-for-the-pro-vaxers.html
Commenter Name
Katie Lomax
Posted: 10/17/2016 11:30:28 PM
I have just now within the last week been reading and educating myself around the whole vaccine movement. I have been left speechless and can't believe what has been happening. I'm losing sleep, but I am so comforted to know that there are people out there who are raising questions and researching!!! Thank you so much! Your support is felt far and wide. And I appreciate the honesty and integrity it takes to expose truth. THANK YOU!!
Commenter Name
Debbie
Posted: 7/7/2017 4:00:44 PM
My religious beliefs also apply to how we raise our animals. The Holy Bible has almost 450 references to the blood and to keeping it pure. "The life of all flesh is in the blood." God also expects us to take the same proper care of our animals and that means no destructive, deadly vaccines. I believe this issue must be taken to court again as all forced vaccination is against the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and many religious beliefs. Thank you for another excellent article. God bless you and NVIC for all the good you do.
Commenter Name
Harrold
Posted: 1/30/2019 12:37:44 PM
Thanks for everything
Commenter Name
Chris
Posted: 6/24/2019 11:06:56 PM
Thanks for this beautiful article. Gov. Cuomo just passed mandated vaccines without religious exemption in NY back on the 13th of this month of June. Our children have religious exemptions as 3 of our kids were injured from vaccines and we will no longer risk their health and safety. Our 4th daughter has received 0 vaccines and they want to force her to catch up with the entire vaccine schedule in order to attend school next year. She is perfectly healthy and excited to go back to school next year. Seeing how she is compared to my other children, 2 of which have Autism and our eldest son could have a form of Asbergers, but we didn't have him diagnosed. The other two are official and we have worked with them in early intervention programs. Our son who has autism is very smart but it took him a long while to develop speech, our daughter who has autism is still mostly non-verbal and she is 9 years old. We will be fighting hard against this, even to the point of lawsuits for violations against our religious rights and several inalienable rights that are god-given. No more will our children be injured no matter what unconstitutional laws are made. They have no right to force us and not allow our children to attend school if we refuse medical treatment.

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