I applaud the Ohio Country Board of Education for their commitment to follow the law of the state of West Virginia in regards to vaccination exemptions for children entering public education. This is not a political issue, not a religious issue, nor even human rights issue. This is a public health issue!

Vaccination mandates over the past decades brought a major decline in the number of cases of diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and hepatitis B among children and adults across the state and the country. There have been medical exemptions allowed but only when attested to by a physician. This was an exemption based on proven science.

As a child, I participated in the Salk polio vaccine trials which led to the elimination of the scourge of that disease. I have seen the effectiveness of vaccines and mandates in reducing illness and death for children and adults in my life time.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey obviously puts more value on personal “religious and philosophical” concerns of parents than the traditional role of the state to maintain the common good through proven and effective public health policy. To put this into perspective, the executive order signed by Morrisey allows for any parent to claim an exemption for “religious or philosophical” reasons. It also does not include a requirement of verification beyond the parental claim.

As a pastor and a theology instructor, I am aware of only two or three niche religions where part of the official theological framework defines vaccines as being in conflict with their religious believes (e.g. Christian Science, and Seventh Day Adventists). To further extend exemptions to include an amorphous “philosophical” exemption is ludicrous.

Would our governor agree that I should receive an exemption if I claim that traffic laws restrain my personal freedom to speed and travel unhindered? Would he grant me a “philosophical” exemption from obeying speed limits? I think not. Yet this is the same argument he makes for allowing parents to opt out of vaccine requirements which provably make us all safer. His executive order mandating exemptions allows larger numbers of the unvaccinated to increase the chances of these diseases rebounding to the detriment of children and families. It is already happening in states where these waivers are in use.

The governor’s executive order only requires parents to claim an exemption in a letter citing their religious and philosophical reasons. This weakens the public health gains made over the past 50 years, and paves the way for the fox to enter the henhouse once again. The result will be that diseases, held at bay by the herd immunity of the vaccine mandates, become common once again and result in the misery and death of many unvaccinated children and adults.

A proper role for state government is to provide laws and policies that become “guardrails” to protect our citizens from unwarranted dangers. Public health policies based on science, rather than personal opinion, are essential for the benefit of the majority. If there are verifiable medical reasons for a vaccine exemption, well and good.

Parents who do not wish to vaccinate their child should not be forced to do so. However, the public policy to require vaccinations for entry into public schools should remain in force.

Rights carry with them responsibility.

Our choices create consequences.

Homeschooling is an option as are some private schools for those who want to avoid vaccines.

This would at least partially mitigate the danger to the health of children and families for whom the local and state governments have responsibility of educational and public health oversight.

Public health should not be a disposable policy in good governance.

The Rev. Donald B. Hill is the pastoral associate at Lawrencefield Parish Church in Wheeling.