DAN CALDWELL HOUSE OF DELEGATES 90TH DISTRICT

Due to the recent supreme Court ruling reversing the Governor's order allowing religious exemption for vaccinations in school!

PETITION TO THE WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

Request for a Statutory Religious Exemption for School Vaccination Requirements

Given the recent Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia, which reaffirmed that matters of public policy—especially those involving parental rights, religious liberty, and medical decision-making—are properly within the authority of the Legislature, we, the undersigned citizens of the State of West Virginia, respectfully petition the Legislature to draft, introduce, and pass a bill establishing a religious exemption to the state’s mandatory vaccination requirements for children attending public and private schools.

West Virginia currently recognizes only limited exemptions to vaccination mandates. Many parents across our state hold sincere religious beliefs that conflict with certain vaccinations or medical procedures. These parents believe that decisions regarding their children’s health should remain a matter of personal faith, parental authority, and individual conscience.

Recognizing a religious exemption would:

1. Uphold fundamental First Amendment freedoms, including the free exercise of religion.

​

2. Protect parental rights, allowing families to make medical decisions guided by their faith.

​

3. Align West Virginia with the majority of states that already provide religious or conscientious exemptions.

4. Ensure transparency and trust between families, schools, and the state.

We respectfully urge the Legislature to take immediate action to protect religious liberty by granting parents a statutory right to a religious exemption from school vaccination requirements.

Thank you for your consideration and your service to the people of West Virginia.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned Citizens of the State of West Virginia