Commissioner MaryEllen Elia Supports Opt Out - For Vaccinations

Given that NYSED Commissioner MaryEllen Elia has said parents who opt their children out of the state tests are "not reasonable" and teachers who support or encourage the Opt Out movement are "unethical," I'm a little surprised at this:

A New York Russian Orthodox mom has won the right to exempt her autistic son from getting the school-mandated measles/mumps/rubella vaccination after citing her moral opposition to abortion, The Post has learned.

The woman said she objected on religious grounds because of the MMR vaccine’s link to the cells of aborted fetuses.

The city Department of Education rejected her bid for exemption after questioning the sincerity of her religious beliefs during the summer and fall of 2013.

But the mother, a Russian immigrant whose name was withheld under privacy laws, filed an appeal with the state Education Department.

Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia sided with the parent and granted the student exemption in an Aug. 3 ruling.

“Her opposition to the MMR vaccine stems from sincerely held religious beliefs. … Furthermore, petitioner produced information relative to specific ingredients … which appears to provide the linkage between vaccines and aborted fetal tissue,” Elia said.

The mom said in her pitch for exemption that “abortion is clearly considered a mortal sin and is [an] abhorrent act to any Christian.”

“The vaccine manufacturers’ use of aborted fetal cells in its products and research means that I cannot associate with them or support them financially (by buying their products), for such support would make me complicit to their sin and answerable to God for this violation,” she said.

The law currently provides for a religious exemption, but it must be documented in writing and heartfelt.

Interesting response from Elia.

So, opting out of MMR vaccinations for religious reasons is fine and dandy, opting out of state tests because parents believe the Endless Testing regime is harmful to their children is not.

Thoughts?

Bloomberg To Force Flu Vaccinations On Pre School, Day Care Children

From Politicker:

On Wednesday, with just three weeks to go until he leaves office, Mr. Bloomberg’s controversial Board of Health is set to vote on new rules that would force children as young as six months old to be immunized each year before December 31 if they attend licensed day care or pre-school programs.



“Young children have a high risk of developing severe complications from influenza. One-third of children under five in New York City do not receive an annual influenza vaccination, even though the vaccine safely and effectively protects them against influenza illness,” the Health Department said in a statement. “This mandate will help protect the health of young children, while reducing the spread of influenza in New York City.”

The Board is stocked with mayoral appointees and controversial initiatives–from smoking bans to regulations on soda cup sizes–have sailed through with little opposition, angering a small, but passionate group of advocates who claim the vaccinations are potentially dangerous.

“The Bloomberg administration is wildly exaggerating the benefit of the flu shot and we think they are wildly underestimating the risks involved with it,” said John Gilmore, the executive director of the Autism Action Network, speaking more broadly than the controversial claim that links vaccines to autism.

“There are risks associated with every medical procedure,” he said, citing allergic reactions, toxic mercury used as a preservative and questions as to whether the Board’s move is legal given state government jurisdictions.

Whether you think mandatory flu vaccinations are safe and not a problem or you think they're a health risk, isn't this an issue we can roll over and deal with in the next administration?

Why does Bloomberg get to shove it through with 3 weeks to go?

This feels like another imperious move by our imperial mayor who has decided he will decide everything for everybody.