I happened across a news story that I did not realize had taken place but I think deserves mention. Back in June, a New York federal judge ruled against three families who claimed their religious rights were violated when New York City schools would not admit their un-vaccinated children. The decision was the result of families who attempted to challenge the state’s school vaccination requirement for children who attend state schools basing their case on their religious freedom was abridged.

According to The New York Times, even though two families received exemptions from New York school districts, they still sought to sue based on other matters related to the case citing the 1st and 14th Amendments. Their children had been prevented from entering school due to a chickenpox outbreak that occurred. New York allows religious immunization exemptions for children to attend its schools if there is a clear indication the child’s health would be jeopardized or if parents author a letter detailing their religious beliefs are violated by school policy presented to school officials whom can accept or reject.

One plaintiff, Dina Check, claimed that New York City unfairly denied her daughter a religious exemption after her daughter was denied one medically. Apparently, after Ms. Check’s daughter was vaccinated as a baby she states it lead to numerous medical problems such as allergies, rashes and infections. She was able to find a private school for her daughter to attend that did not require immunization. Ms. Check now uses holistic medicine due to her experience with regular medicine and a religious revelation.

“Disease is pestilence,” Ms. Check said, “and pestilence is from the devil. The devil is germs and disease, which is cancer and any of those things that can take you down. But if you trust in the Lord, these things cannot come near you.”

The Times points out that Judge Kuntz cited a 1905 Supreme Court case upholding a Massachusetts law requiring immunization for small pox or a $5 fine. The statute was contested by a plaintiff who refused to vaccinate or pay the fine after he was ordered to vaccinate. The overall threat of diseases is real and, unfortunately, is getting worse. Ohio, for example, is struggling with a measles outbreak after unvaccinated Amish missionaries returned from the Philippines infected with measles in which it has spread to unvaccinated state residents. Simultaneously, Ohio has loose immunization requirements for kids to enter state schools, respectfully.

The New York federal court’s decision is correct. The ruling the judge based his decision on isn’t a matter of public health but a mater of protecting individual rights. When you knowingly refuse to vaccinate yourself or your kids you impose a risk on other people that they did not consent to. A virus is similar to a living organism and in many ways seeks to preserve its existence similar to a life form. If you fail to vaccinate you are setting yourself up to be a host for a virus that could potentially mutate into a deadlier strain that can infect hundreds of thousands of people resulting in serious illness or even death.

After un-vaccinated Amish missionaries returned from the Philippines, they were carriers for measles which has spread. Now Ohio is struggling to contain the outbreak. Claims by anti-vaccine activists that vaccine mandates violate their religious or individual rights ring hollow. All refusing to vaccinate is tantamount to tantamount to subscribing to a right to infect others.

Anti-vaccine group logic and activism is just as dangerous as those of animal rights organizations. It amounts to an assault on our health and ability to use science to create vaccines and use animals to test them in order to help humans ward of sickness. The link environmentalism has to anti-vaccination groups has lead to the dissemination of misinformation. As a result, people refuse to vaccinate despite evidence immunizations save lives coupled with denial of disease outbreaks. That is what poses a threat to us all.