West Virginia bishop opposes religious and philosophical exemptions to school vaccine law

WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) — The Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is weighing in on West Virginia’s ongoing debate over school vaccine exemptions, warning that efforts to loosen the state’s requirements put children at risk.

In an article released this week, Bishop Mark E. Brennan said his own childhood experiences with measles and polio vaccines shaped his belief that immunizations are essential for protecting public health. He called West Virginia’s vaccination rules “strong” and urged lawmakers not to back away from them.

“Children are more vulnerable than adults and need more protection. Proven vaccines provide that protection,” Brennan wrote.

West Virginia is currently one of the few states that does not allow religious or philosophical exemptions to school vaccine mandates, but medical exemptions remain available. However, bills moving through the West Virginia Legislature and recent legal challenges have sought to change that.

Lawmakers have introduced measures that would allow parents to exempt children from vaccines for religious or philosophical reasons by submitting a written statement. Supporters argue the proposals expand parental rights. Opponents, including many health officials, say loosening the law could trigger outbreaks of preventable diseases.

The state has also faced lawsuits from parents challenging the mandatory immunization policy, while national figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have voiced support for religious exemptions in West Virginia. Earlier this year, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reaffirmed that all students must be immunized before the start of the school year.

Brennan acknowledged some parents’ safety concerns and moral objections but said rejecting vaccines based on mistaken beliefs or distant links to abortion-derived cell cultures in the 1960s ignores the greater common good. Brennan said the link to the cell cultures is distant and should not outweigh the benefits of vaccination.

“We can accept a remote link to a moral evil, which we did not cause and do not endorse, because a far greater good can be obtained despite it,” he wrote.

The bishop also emphasized that Catholic schools under his authority will not relax their vaccination policies, saying the church has a duty to protect children’s health and safety.

“I join many other West Virginians, both medical personnel and ordinary citizens, in urging our civil leaders to back away from weakening a childhood vaccination regimen that has done immense good in keeping our children healthy,” Brennan said.

You can find Bishop Brennan’s full article here.