Mississippi Allows Religious Exemptions to Children’s Vaccine Requirements for Schools

A Mississippi Patriots for Vaccine Rights Rally in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2020. Courtesy of MaryJo Perry

Mississippi has ended its decades-long policy of having one of the strictest childhood vaccine requirements in the nation after a federal judge ruled in favor of religious exemptions.

In April, U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden granted a preliminary injunction following an evidentiary hearing before handing down a full order the next day.