New York Ends Religious Exemption to Vaccine Mandates

New York Ends Religious Exemption to Vaccine Mandates
A nurse prepares the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in Rockland County, N.Y., on April 5, 2019. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
The Associated Press
Updated:

ALBANY, N.Y.—New York eliminated the religious exemption to vaccine requirements for schoolchildren on June 13, as the nation’s worst measles outbreak in decades prompts states to reconsider giving parents ways to opt out of immunization rules.

The Democrat-led Senate and Assembly voted Thursday, June 13, to repeal the exemption, which allows parents to cite religious beliefs to forego getting their child the vaccines required for school enrollment.