Court Rejects Challenge To New York Vaccination Requirements

In Phillips v. City of New York, (ED NY, June 4, 2014), parents who object to vaccinating their children on religious grounds challenged New York's law that allows religious exemptions.  Even though most of the children involved received an exemption, plaintiffs complain that the state requires them to detail their religious beliefs in order to qualify.  Schools also apparently require unvaccinated children to remain home when any classmate contracts a vaccine-preventable disease. The court dismissed plaintiffs' free exercise, substantive due process and equal protection challenges to the law.