Less than a week after Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a new law removing religious exemptions for vaccinations — the state is facing a federal lawsuit.
The law requires children who attend public schools to get commonly required vaccinations, like the MMR shot — unless they have a medical condition. Two groups and three families sued the state. They say the law infringes on their freedom of religion and their right to a free public education.
Brian Festa is with the Connecticut Freedom Alliance, one of the groups on the lawsuit.
“What this law is doing is it’s forcing children to choose between one fundamental right — education — and another fundamental right — religion — and that’s just abhorrent in our view,” Festa said.
The new law doesn’t apply to students who are currently in school. Five other states, including New York, don’t offer parents a religious exemption.
