Connecticut Statute provides for both medical and religious exemption from vaccines.  Additionally, Connecticut Statute also allows for exemption from specific vaccines when a child possesses a physician statement stating that the child has had a confirmed case of the disease.

 

Medical exemptions are granted when an individual has experienced a previous reaction to a vaccine or if the individual has a medical contraindication against receiving a particular vaccine.  The Connecticut Statutes simply say that ‘physicians’ may give medical exemptions.  On the child’s physical form for school entry there is an area for a medical exemption to be completed.

 

 

Religious exemptions.  Connecticut also has a religious exemption, which can be claimed when vaccination conflicts with ones beliefs.  Religious exemption is generally understood to be an all or nothing proposition.  It is assumed that if one vaccine conflicts with ones beliefs, then they all do.  Since beliefs may change, one may have been vaccinated to a point in the past, but may later decide to use the religious exemption and not further vaccinate.  

 

For those who try to claim a religious exemption for one vaccine but not another it is important to understand that one is entering a very murky area and it would be best to discuss this attempt at a religious exemption with an attorney.  CTVIA does not know of any situation in Connecticut where an individual successfully claimed a religious exemption for one vaccine while at the same time vaccinating for another. 

 

When locating an attorney it is best to find one that specializes in or is very familiar with the vaccine issue.  CTVIA has several attorneys listed under our ‘legal’ ‘other links’ section.  CTVIA does not endorse any particular attorney.  Additionally, you may want to contact the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), www.909shot.com for other attorneys.  CTVIA also has a couple books listed in our ‘books’ section that deals with exemptions.

 

This folder contains a religious exemption form provided by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH).  This form, according to the Connecticut DPH, is acceptable as a religious exemption.  Please note that under Connecticut Statute you are not required to disclose your religion.  In fact disclosing your religion could cause your religious exemption to be challenged.  It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the Connecticut Statute.  Because of the vaccine controversy, if your religious exemption is questioned or challenged then it may be in your best interest to contact an attorney as soon as possible rather then arguing or trying to justify your beliefs to the questioning officials.  Again, this area of law is rather specialized and an attorney familiar with the vaccine issue and religious exemptions would best serve your needs.

 

If you decide to use the Connecticut DPH’s religious exemption form, make sure the Connecticut Statute cited matches your situation.  The statute cited in the religious exemption is for school age children.  If you are using this religious exemption for daycare then you need to change the statute to correspond with daycare which would be Section 19a-87b, as listed under the CTVIA ‘CT State Law’ area.

 

There has been considerable controversy regarding daycare requirements.  Some daycare providers are under the impression that an appropriate church authority must sign the religious exemption.  This is not correct.  Some providers cite DPH forms that show this requirement in [brackets].  It is important to understand that any clauses in [brackets] have been removed. 

 

Parents have been known to get their religious exemption notarized.  Although there are no guarantees, both parents often sign the religious exemption in case of a divorce or one of the parents die. In these cases, their wishes are in writing.

 

Proof of Immunity.  Finally, one may try to obtain proof of immunity.  One way to prove immunity is to have a physician confirm that a patient has already contracted the disease.  An example of this would be a confirmed case of the chickenpox.  The physician’s statement should be accepted in place of a vaccine, according to the statutes.

 

Another way of obtaining a proof of immunity is through a titer blood test, which measures the antibody titers against specific diseases, such as measles and rubella.  If the titers are high enough then this may pass for proof of immunity and may be used as another form of exemption.  Since vaccine package inserts list that a certain percentage of people obtain sufficient antibody titers before completing an entire series of vaccinations, some people choose to test their antibodies prior to getting additional vaccine doses.  It may be best to find out what is considered a high enough antibody level prior to learning the blood test results. 

 

If you have any additional questions feel free to contact CTVIA at 860-231-2231.