The State Attorney General of Florda has demanded that Catholic schools accept religious objections to vaccines or risk losing millions in state funding.

According to state law, children wanting to attend public or Catholic schools are subject to vaccine mandates. However, exemptions are granted on either medical or religious grounds.  Philosophical or personal belief exemptions are not recognized in Florida.

A state office grants exemptions when claimed by parents on sufficient grounds.

Catholic schools in Florida, however, have not been accepting the religious exemptions, as the Catholic faith does not provide grounds for a principled objection to any of the required vaccines. This follows advice from the US National Catholic Bioethics Center.

Florida’s AG, James Uthmeier, disputes that reading of Catholic teaching.

Speaking “as a Catholic” and after citing numerous Catholic sources, he says “there is no religious basis on which to reject a person’s claim of religious conscience for refusing to take vaccines”.

He urged the schools to accept the religious exemptions, warning: “[f]ailure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs”.

Notre Dame professor of Law, Rick Garnett, called the letter “a glaring and dangerous government overreach.”