VACCINE EXEMPTIONS

It is law in all US states that children be properly immunized before attending school. However, in addition to medical exemptions offered in each state, 48 states allow for religious exemptions and 20^a states allow personal belief exemptions for daycare and school.

Mandatory Immunization Laws and the Role of Medical, Religious and Philosophical Exemptions, Daniel A. Salmon [October 2003] (pdf - 32KB)

McCarthy v Boozman, 2002 Ruling by Arkansas District Court that religious exemptions are unconstitutional.

Letter to Fay Boozman suggesting that it should not be easier to obtain philosophical exemption than comply with vaccination by Daniel Salmon, Neal Halsey, Andrew Siegel, and Eugene Gangarosa. (pdf - 40 KB)

Model School Immunization Exemption Law Developed for Arkansas - these draft exemptions are proposed by the Institute for Vaccine Safety, the Johns Hopkins Center for Law and the Public's Health, and the Arkansas Medical Society.

Exemptions by State (updated August 11, 2011):

religious exemptions : All states but Mississippi and West Virginia

personal belief exemptions ^a: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin

a Personal belief exemptions include religious, philosophical and any other unspecified non-medical exemption

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Click on the state abbreviation below the map to link to exemption information for that state. (updated 8/11/11)

Map showing exemption types

Click on state abbreviation below for more exemption information

AL | AK | AZ | AR | CA | CO | CT | DE | DC | FL | GA| HI | ID | IL | IN | IA | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA | MI | MN | MS | MO | MT | NE | NV | NH | NJ | NM | NY | NC | ND | OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VT | VA | WA | WV | WI | WY

The following links do not take you directly to the information but, with the statute numbers below, you should be able to find the information.

Code of Alabama Section 16-30-3
Colorado Revised Statutes 25-4-903
General Statutes of Connecticut Chapter 169 Sec 10-204a(2-3)
DC Official Code § 38-506
Georgia Code 20-2-771(c-d)
Iowa Code 2009 139A.8.4a(1-2)
Maryland Code Ann: Education Title 7-403 (b)
New Jersey Permanent Statutes 18A:61D-10.4
South Carolina Code of Laws 44-29-180

This page was last updated on February 08, 2012