Tuberville Helps Introduce Bill To Protect Religious Vaccine Exemptions

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) helped introduce the Guaranteeing Religious Accommodation in Childhood(GRACE) Act, which withholds federal tax dollars from schools that refuse to recognize religious exemptions for vaccinations. The GRACE Act helps protect religious freedom and parental rights by preventing schools from targeting families with religious documentation requirements.

"This is a free country, and parents have every right to make personal decisions about what vaccines they choose to give their children," said Sen. Tuberville. "Last time I checked, parents are in charge of their children's healthcare decisions, not the federal government. Taxpayer-funded K-12 schools have no right to turn students away at the door because of their vaccination status - especially if they have a religious exemption. This legislation protects religious liberty and puts parents back in charge of their children's health and wellbeing."

BACKGROUND

Vaccine mandates for children in K-12 schools began in 1855, with all 50 states requiring a variety of student vaccines by 1980. These mandates require children to receive state-selected vaccinations in order to enroll in classes, and sometimes to participate in extracurricular activities.

While students may receive an exemption from one or more vaccines for medical, religious, or personal reasons, religious exemptions are often viewed as less legitimate than medical exemptions and are the most challenging for students to obtain. Requirements to receive an exemption range from providing a note signed by a legal guardian to showing explicit documentation proving religious affiliation. These hurdles for non-medical vaccine exemptions have caused some parents to withdraw their child from school - sometimes neglecting to provide education entirely. Other students in California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York are not allowed any form of religious exemption and must be vaccinated at the expense of their beliefs in order to attend school.

Before removing their religious freedom exemptions in recent years, California and New York reported that approximately 1-3% of their students held religious freedom exemptions, and Maine saw approximately double the national rate for non-medical exemptions. Thousands of American children are now blocked from attending the schools their tax dollars pay for, solely because of their sincerely held religious beliefs.

The GRACE Act would rectify this injustice by ensuring that the federal government does not financially support school policies that supersede students' First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion.

The GRACE Act is endorsed by more than fifty organizations including Children's Health Defense, MAHA Action, Family Research Council, First Liberty, Moms for Liberty, Global Wellness Forum, and many others.

The Guaranteeing Religious Accommodation in Childhood Education (GRACE) Act:

• Prohibits federal education funds from any educational institutions and agencies that do not allow religious exemptions to vaccine requirements.
• Prevents institutions from requiring documentation or other information to be submitted by the student or family obtaining a religious exemption.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

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