A New York Russian Orthodox mom has won the right to exempt her autistic son from getting the school-mandated measles/mumps/rubella vaccination after citing her moral opposition to abortion, The Post has learned.
The woman said she objected on religious grounds because of the MMR vaccine’s link to the cells of aborted fetuses.
The city Department of Education rejected her bid for exemption after questioning the sincerity of her religious beliefs during the summer and fall of 2013.
But the mother, a Russian immigrant whose name was withheld under privacy laws, filed an appeal with the state Education Department.
Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia sided with the parent and granted the student exemption in an Aug. 3 ruling.
“Her opposition to the MMR vaccine stems from sincerely held religious beliefs. … Furthermore, petitioner produced information relative to specific ingredients … which appears to provide the linkage between vaccines and aborted fetal tissue,” Elia said.
The mom said in her pitch for exemption that “abortion is clearly considered a mortal sin and is [an] abhorrent act to any Christian.”
“The vaccine manufacturers’ use of aborted fetal cells in its products and research means that I cannot associate with them or support them financially (by buying their products), for such support would make me complicit to their sin and answerable to God for this violation,” she said.
The law currently provides for a religious exemption, but it must be documented in writing and heartfelt.
City health officials opposed the mom’s request because, among other things, they said the Russian Orthodox Church had not taken a strong stand against student vaccinations.
Medical experts worry that waiving students from vaccinations could trigger a viral outbreak similar to the measles outbreak in California earlier this year.
A Bronx state lawmaker has even proposed legislation to eliminate the religious exemption.
“It’s too easy to get an exemption. The safety of all kids should take precedence, ” said Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.