HARTFORD, Conn. — Two proposed bills on the table could eliminate religious exemptions for vaccinations in public school in the state. Hundreds of people protested outside the Legislative Office Building and the Capitol on Tuesday.
Back in June of 2019, similar legislation passed in New York State, impacting unvaccinated children, including Poughkeepsie, NY resident Antonio Mazzarelli. "My three children who were under 18 were thrown out of school." Mazzarelli also told Fox61 his 17-year-old daughter moved to her uncle's house in Pennsylvania so she could continue to go to school. She was able to return to her school system when she turned 18, because the law only pertained to children under 18 years of age.
Last month during a marathon public hearing, over 2000 people submitted testimony, and after 24 hours, only about 200 got to voice their opinions, until the protest today.
"Today's the only day this month that the legislature was going to be in the building, so we thought it would be great if they saw our presence" said parent Matthew Paterna. Hundreds of people lined Capitol Avenue starting at 9:00am Tuesday morning, and then marched to the North Steps of the State Capitol where they hosted a rally with speakers, ranging from legislators to parents, doctors and attorneys.
State Representative Irene Haines was one of the speakers at the event. "Parents get to choose what's best for their kids. There is nobody out there that's going to take better care of your kids than you" said Haines.
Paterna said "I believe that parents should have a choice and individuals should have a choice what goes into their bodies and their children's bodies".
People in opposition of these bills said they will continue to fight and protest for their right to keep vaccines away from their children.
"The idea that another parent could on their own decide to expose my child to a vaccine-preventable disease, it gives you pause and it's shocking," she said.
Proponents of the bill also argue that the religious exemption is being used more like the philosophical exemption Connecticut got rid of years ago. Some opposed to the bill said that isn't true.
"Statements like this leave me feeling that my faith and my God does not matter here in Connecticut. I cannot imagine the disappointment my son will feel if I tell him he cannot enroll in school or camp next year because our religion does not matter to the state," said Catherine Ambrose of Wilton.
According to the Department of Public Health, the percentage of kindergarten students with a religious exemption was 2.3% for the 2019-2020 school year. That is down 0.2% from the previous year, but up 0.9% from the 2012-2013 school year.
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