The Atheist Vs. The Religious Exemption
Monique | Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 8:47PM 
{While I recognize this is a heated parenting topic, and hate to be the tone police - this is MY space and I will delete and completely ignore comments that are blatantly rude.}
Christian and I had been selectively vaccinating the boys, until combination vaccines started becoming more widespread, and we decided to stop altogether. For the most part.
Truthfully, the ingredients, the mass production, the incompetent health care workers giving adult size doses to infants and much, much more than that - make us uncomfortable.
We have been known to make exceptions when absolutely needed.
Last year for example, Caesar needed his MMR immunization to continue attending Kindergarten.
It was his first year, and we'd missed the deadline to apply for an exemption that we didn't know we could apply for until the deadline had passed, so we had no choice but to relent, and did.
Caesar handles vaccines well. A minor fever, a touch of fatigue and he's good to go. It doesn't make us hate the process any less, but in this case, having no other option, we chose to give in.
Mercutio, on the other hand, does not handle them well - his fever is higher and usually not helped by medication, his fatigue is overwhelming, and we typically end up taking him to the hospital where they can do nothing for him until the vaccine runs its course - which takes longer for his body to do.
Medically, I believe we have valid reasons not to have him vaccinated. And, having personally experienced some of Ithaca's medical system, it is one I have little faith in for even routine procedures, but we live here, so we deal.
In the Ithaca City School District, despite an additional option listed on the website {which would not help us, as his medical proof is all based in Seattle, not New York}, we have been told that the only acceptable form of exemption is a religious one. The state recognizes no philosophical reasoning.
And our household is headed by an Atheist and an Agnostic.
The school nurse explained how to fill out the form, telling me that we need to provide as much detail - including specific scriptures - as possible, and from there the District will either approve or deny the application.
Still leaving the only option we have, an uncertain one.
I have taught my children that honesty is the best policy, personally, I'm big on most rules and my morals are of huge importance to me.
Filling out this paperwork and claiming that I have, as the application states; "sincere and genuine" religious reasons behind why I don't want to vaccinate my child, is a compromise of those morals that I cherish and instill in my children.
If I don't fill out the application I have to vaccinate Mercutio, which besieges my belief as his mother, and says to the school system; "When you back me into a corner and take away my options, I will allow you to violate the choices I've made as a parent."
So which do I relinquish?
Neither.
The application is due tomorrow and I've thrown it in the trash, but I will not take Mercutio to be vaccinated either.
I don't know why it's mandated that I provide religious reasons for an issue of the state.
I don't know why our sincere and genuine medical reasons wouldn't be sufficient. They're medical.
I do know that I hate all of this and feel stunted.
This is just Pre-K, but what happens next year? The year after? What happens with Caesar?
Mercutio will greatly miss out on all the things he is already enjoying about school, and we three are the only ones being punished if we have to pull him out - the school system won't notice or care because he's just a four year old boy with parents who are making waves.
When you're cornered do you make the great sacrifices asked of you, or do you fight for something different?
I can't sacrifice my values, I won't lose any more of myself as a parent to this school by subjecting my son to the pain he experiences when vaccinated, so the only choice I have left is to fight.
And hope it's not my son who loses.
Reader Comments (6)
This is such a tough decision. I'm not sure what the right one is. If he remains unvaccinated, he can't attend school? That seems kind of extreme to me. I wouldn't want to knowingly harm my son or teach him something that I think is wrong either. Parenting is hard.
While my opinions are completely different than your own, I do respect you and your decisions, and feel irritated on your behalf. I do not think you should lie because you are such an honest person, and you instill that into your kids, so I hurrah you for tossing that thing into the garbage. I hope that you have a good outcome, and maybe if you had a different and more supportive school, and medical community you would feel differently. Hugs Mo. =) ♥
We all pick our battles in life and I 100% respect you for standing your ground on this one. BEST OF LUCK!
I respect your position completely, as well as respect you as a woman and mother for standing up for what you believe in. <3
While I don't agree with your decision against vaccinating your kids, I respect your choice and totally agree that it's ridiculous to only have a "religious" exemption. The reason for schools requiring vaccines is for the safety of all the students/staff in the schools, but if one kid isn't vaccinated because of a religious reason and one isn't because of a parent's choice besides religion, is the one based on religion less likely to get sick from not being vaccinated... no. It makes no sence to me.
Regardless, if you still choose not to vaccinate, the school will need something on file, so I would just write a letter to have in their files that voices your decision and is signed. End of story.
Good luck!
How RIDICULOUS that a religious exemption trumps a medical one. I don't really have much more to say on the subject other than a string of swear words. Just know that I'm feeling for you. Sometimes I get so furious that this is the world my kids are going to grow up in!