California, this one's for you.
A decade after losing the personal belief exemption to school vaccinations, a new hope has emerged.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a decade since the California legislature, led by (now former) Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), and fueled by the media hype over the Disneyland measles outbreak, removed the state’s longstanding personal belief exemption for required school vaccinations. On that fateful day in June 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB277 into law, dealing a death blow to the religious and medical freedoms of California families. In one fell swoop, California went from a state with arguably some of the strongest protections against forced medical interventions in the country, to a state with arguably the least such protections. And since then, things have become “progressively” worse (pun intended).
Worse, not only in California, but all across the country. By May of 2019, Maine followed California’s lead, abolishing its religious exemption to school vaccinations (although the law did not take effect until 2021). Not to be outdone by its neighbors to the north, New York eradicated its religious exemption for schoolchildren the following month. And in April 2021, Connecticut joined the party by repealing its religious exemption using the same playbook as its predecessors, i.e., under the guise of a purported threat of a measles outbreak.
Flash forward four years, and history is repeating itself, as it is wont to do. No sooner had the Texas measles outbreak hit the headlines this year, than states like Washington, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Hawaii began proposing legislation to eliminate religious exemptions. And while some of those bills have already been defeated for this year, at least, the momentum shows no signs of stopping. As I predicted even before Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. took the reins as Secretary of Health and Human Services, so-called “blue” states have dug in their heels, more determined than ever to eliminate what they see as the “dangerous” freedom to opt out of vaccinations.
That’s why We The Patriots USA made a commitment earlier this year to fight back against this tide, and win back religious exemptions in every state where they’ve been lost. Today we took yet another step toward keeping that promise, as we are proud to announce that we have filed a federal lawsuit against the Ventura, California school district and California state officials for expelling a student who exercised a religious exemption to the school vaccinations. But in this case, it didn’t end with mere removal from school. The Ventura County Prosecutor’s office saw fit to take things a step further, charging the parents with truancy. That’s right, the school created the problem by kicking the student out against his (and his parents’) will in January, and then turned around and charged the parents with truancy for not sending him to school. And to add further insult to injury, the school has now given this high-achiever honors student failing grades in all of his courses. Just when you thought things couldn’t get more outrageous, California found a way to top itself. You can read our filed complaint in full here, and the attached exhibits here.
And, due in part to this very outrageousness, we believe that this case has the best chance yet to restore religious exemptions in California - and, if we are heard at the U.S. Supreme Court - the nation. More precisely, this case demonstrates most clearly California’s hostility to those with sincere religious convictions against vaccinations. What else could it be to halt a student’s academic progress mid-year, fail him in every class, and then seek to criminally punish the parents? The U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that the government’s hostility to religious beliefs violates the First Amendment (see Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission), and it’s hard to argue that this isn’t hostility. That’s why, in addition to our complaint, we are seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to immediately halt this discriminatory conduct.
So to all the California families who have waited for what seems like an eternity to regain their rights - to an education, and to freely exercise their religious beliefs - this one’s for you. This should have never happened in the first place. We want you to know that We The Patriots USA stands with the families of California, and we will not stop until we have exhausted every possible avenue to win back your rights. That’s why We The Patriots USA is also the lead plaintiff in this lawsuit, to represent all of our members affected by these egregious violations. Special thanks to our amazing legal team, including Attorneys Cameron Atkinson and Jennifer Kennedy.
We ask for your prayers as we head into battle, and - if you are able to do so - your support of our mission. We have already incurred thousands of dollars in legal expenses just to get this complaint filed. Please prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible gift to our mission, so that we can continue to fight for California, and for all of the other states that are battling to win back what are not only exemptions, but Constitutional and human rights. Since we do not charge our clients any legal fees, we rely solely on the generous contributions of our supporters to continue this vital work.
Today, with this latest lawsuit, we’ve taken a stand for California. We hope you’ll stand with us.
