Maine residents can no longer ‘opt-out’ of immunizations for religious or philosophical reasons

Maine has become the fourth state in the nation to prohibit people from opting out of immunization for religious or philosophical reasons.

Governor Janet Mills (D) signed a bill into law on Friday removing all non-medical exemptions to vaccination from the books.

“As governor, it is my responsibility to protect the health and safety of all Maine people, and it has become clear that our current laws do not adequately protect against the risks posed to Mainers,” Mills said in a statement.

Mills cited an outbreak of whooping cough in three Maine counties, adding that her state has the worst rate of whooping-cough infection in the nation.

She also acknowledged that the immunization issue was “very emotional” for the people of her state.

“People of good will hold sincere beliefs on both sides of the issue,” she said, “but Maine has a vaccination opt-out rate that is three times higher than the national average for students entering Kindergarten and the state ranks seventh in the country for the rate of non-medical exemptions taken among school-age children.”

The law will take effect in September 2021. Schoolchildren who claimed a non-medical exemption prior to the law taking effect will be allowed to attend school if their parent or guardian provides a written statement from a healthcare professional indicating they’ve been informed of the risks of refusing immunization.

Medical exemptions to vaccinations will still be granted.