“We hope that this course of action by the diocese balances the need to protect the health of our students, teachers and staffs with the rights of parents to decide issues vital to their children.”Ī personal belief exemption from a vaccine requirement is different than a religious exemption, as a personal belief is not based on some sort of creed. “The question of Covid mandates divides our parent communities as it divides our societies,” they said. Religion influences decisions on vaccination ( 14 - 16 ), and religious objection is often used by parents as an excuse to avoid the vaccination of their children ( 5, 17 ). The mandate has proven divisive even ahead of its implementation, said the diocese. Presently, the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNTech is available for children aged 5 and up thanks to an emergency use authorization. Newsom did not go through the California legislature when mandating the coronavirus vaccine for students. While religious and personal belief exemptions are not allowed for fully-approved childhood vaccines, California law requires that any additional vaccine that is added to the list of mandatory vaccinations without legislative approval must allow for personal belief exemptions.

Prior to this policy, parts of the state had childhood vaccination rates comparable to developing countries. Only medical exemptions are allowed for these cases. In California, a 2019 law prohibits religious exemptions and personal belief exemptions for standard childhood vaccinations, including measles, rubella, polio, and inoculations against seven other diseases. This mandate gos into effect January 2022. Gavin Newsom (D) announced that all children enrolled in public, charter, or private schools aged 12 and older would need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, albeit with personal belief exemptions. “The consensus among legislative analysts with whom we have spoken is that it is unlikely that the legislature will give legislative approval for a mandate without a personal belief exemption,” they said. Under these circumstances, effective vaccines play a critical role in saving lives, improving population health, and facilitating economic recovery. 1 letter to school pastors and principals from the diocese’s Offices for Schools and Communications & Public Affairs. The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused health, economic, and social challenges globally. “In implementing any legal mandate for Covid vaccinations that includes a personal belief exemption, the Catholic schools of the Diocese of San Diego will accept any parents request for exemption as valid,” said a Nov. Catholic schools in the Diocese of San Diego will accept “any” personal belief exemption for the coronavirus vaccine once California’s mandate for schoolchildren goes into effect.

Religious exemption letter vaccines