Judge To Rule On Rockland Banning Unvaccinated Children From Public

In the midst of a measles outbreak, should unvaccinated children be barred from public places?

A judge in Rockland County is expected to deliver a decision on the issue today.

The county has seen 166 confirmed measles cases since October.

In an effort to keep the disease from spreading, the county executive declared an emergency order last week, banning unvaccinated minors from school and other public spaces.

Lawyer Patricia Finn represents a family who, for religious reasons, did not vaccinate its children. With only a relative handful of current active cases centered in the ultra-Orthodox community, she says the order is unnecessary and should be overturned.

“It violates several Constitutional provisions,” she said. “This is executive order in invalidating the religious exception is having a huge financial impact on families that now have to homeschool their kids.”

In New York, families can claim a religious exemption from vaccination rules. Some state lawmakers are now pushing to end that exemption, as California did in 2015.

“Your right to express your sincerely held belief or your religious belief does not extend to the right to endanger our children and our community from measles,” said Brad Hoylman.

Judge Rolf Thorsen heard arguments against the emergency order Thursday and said he would rule on a request to lift it later today.

The county attorney said if the outbreak becomes an epidemic, the cost of treating it would be enormous.

The health department will hold another free measles vaccine clinic this afternoon. For more information, click here.

Judge To Rule On Rockland’s Measles Emergency Order Banning Unvaccinated Children From Public