A: Unfortunately, refusing vaccines just isn't a matter of saying, "no thanks." While every state in the union protects those medically exempt from vaccinations (those with proven allergies to certain vaccines), and every state except Michigan and West Virginia offer religious exemptions, there are ONLY 18 STATES that offer a philosophical exemption. The fact that most states make a legal distinction between a "religious exemption" and a "philosophical exemption" (which, if you ask me, is the same exact thing), is bureaucratic hair-splitting of the most egregious kind. Just a few months ago, parents in Prince George's County, Maryland, who tried to refuse vaccinating their kids were actually told to appear in court and subject their children to on-the-spot, state-mandated vaccines of UP TO 17 DOSES … OR FACE IMPRISONMENT!! What's more, parents who ignored the court's demands were subject to a $50 fine for each day their child was "out of compliance" (i.e., not surrendering their Constitutional rights to the state), or up to 10 days in jail. Why is an education system party to such a gross violation of personal rights? Don't let them suck you in with all that "it's for the safety of the children" nonsense. As always, it's about the almighty dollar. The Prince George's County school system is allocated $11,325 per student, per year. This sum comes from a variety of sources, and roughly breaks down this way: About 7 percent ($780) comes from the federal government; 46 percent comes from the state of Maryland ($5,246); and 47 percent comes from local monies such as city budgets ($5,298). In order for the schools to receive that money, a child must be enrolled in the school. Simple enough, right? Well, according to the state regulations on vaccinations, a kid CAN'T be enrolled if he doesn't have his vaccinations up to date. In fact, he could be expelled. At the time, there were as many as 2,300 hundred kids being barred from school due to their non-compliance with the vaccination policy. If those kids were tossed from school due to state regulations, that would mean the PG County school district would suddenly be out an astounding $26 million in revenue from the state and the city! No wonder they wanted to threaten the parents with jail! The good news is, there are many anti-vaccines groups out there who are fighting the good fight against vaccines: PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education) and the American Association for Health Freedom (AAHF). These organizations are doing what they can to ensure the philosophical exemptions to mandatory vaccinations are enforced throughout the country. If a study came out tomorrow that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that vaccines weren't dangerous (don't hold your breath, by the way), I would STILL be shouting about exemptions at the top of my lungs. Why? Because it is a FUNDAMENTAL PERSONAL RIGHT to CHOOSE what is and what is not injected into your body and the bodies of your children. This right needs to be upheld in ALL 50 states in the U.S., and FULLY PROTECTED by the federal government. The right to choose to be fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or completely unvaccinated should be up to you. And no amount of money or influence should be able to bend such a basic constitutional freedom. Period. | 
