Alabama is the third least vaccinated state or district according to online personal finance and research site Wallet Hub. And if a bill pre-filed for the next legislative session in January passes, that rating will not improve.
With Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr’s decades-long record of casting doubt on vaccine safety and effectiveness and Florida proposing to do away with vaccine mandates, one Alabama lawmaker wants Alabama to join the vaccine debate.
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Etowah County Republican State Rep. Mack Butler (28th District) has pre-filed a bill that would make it easier for parents to get a vaccine religious exemption for K-12 and higher education students. Butler claims his legislation gives parents more rights by submitting a vaccination waiver request without giving a reason.
House Bill 24, “…would specify that a parent or guardian’s written declaration is sufficient documentation to exempt his or her child from a vaccine requirement for religious reasons.” (NOTE: There are no current vaccine requirements for higher education in Alabama. However, there was a COVID19 vaccine mandate during the pandemic)…