US court sides with NY in fight over school vaccine rules

Source: Associated Press

US court sides with NY in fight over school vaccine rules

July 29, 2022

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Friday against a group of New York parents who sued after the state made it more difficult for children to get a medical exemption from school immunization requirements, which were tightened after a major measles outbreak in 2019.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by families and Children’s Health Defense, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine group.

The lawsuit challenged state rules adopted in 2019 that did away with religious exemptions for vaccines and narrowed eligibility for medical exemptions down to children with just a few rare conditions, like severe allergic reactions to a previous dose of vaccine or certain, severe immune system diseases. The state’s allowed exemptions follow guidelines from a federal advisory panel.

The families argued the regulations violated their rights because school officials could deny requests on behalf of vulnerable children even when a doctor certified a medical need for an exemption.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/health-lawsuits-immunizations-4d7bf74334f4b93f69e29e249a805fc3