HARTFORD, Conn. — Governor Lamont signed a bill that will eliminate the religious exemption for vaccines required for school. The law won't take effect until September 2022, but people who oppose the bill already took action. A group protested for the second day in a row, this time outside of the governor's residence.
"We don't have much choice except to protest and that's what we've been doing," said Tony Cove of Brookfield.
The governor signed the bill less than 24 hours after the state Senate voted in favor of it. Students already in grades K-12 will be grandfathered in, meaning they can still claim the exemption.
"Generations to come are going to be affected by this legislation, this is terrible," said Melanie Maurice of East Hartford.
Vaccines won't be required for children, but they will be required for them to attend school. Something some parents say will be difficult for their families.
"Homeschooling is not an option. 3 out of 4 of my children are special education, so it's just not a possibility," said Sherry Harmon of Plainfield.
In an attempt to overturn the legislation, We The Patriots USA and the CT Freedom Alliance are filing lawsuits, represented by Attorney Norm Pattis.
"This lawsuit will strike at the heart of claims that there can ever be a public health emergency such that fundamental rights to raise your children become the suzerainty or the power of the state," said Pattis.
However, those in favor of the bill say it is a matter of public health. The Vaccine Alliance of Connecticut praised the bill.
Amy Pisani, executive director of Vaccinate Your Family, said in a statement,
"Our nation and our neighbors are witnessing the devastating effects that vaccine preventable disease outbreaks can have on our ability to keep our children in schools; removing the non-medical exemption is essential to assuring that all children are protected through community immunity and are safe in our school systems."
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