If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would we? Keep West Virginia’s immunization policy strong

A child under 12 years old receives a dose of Pfizer vaccine as part of the COVID-19 immunization campaign on Jan. 18, 2022 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed an executive order to allow religious exemptions for school vaccines. (Pedro Vilela | Getty Images)

Growing up, my mom had a signature response to my sister and me whenever we begged to do something just because “everyone else is doing it.” Her go-to line, like many of our parents of that time, was, “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you?” So goes the logic of many of our elected officials in the wake of Gov. Patrick Morrissey’s day one executive order 7-25. 

The order directed the Bureau for Public Health to write a policy to permit non-medical exemptions to West Virginia’s child care and school immunization requirements. It claims, “No state action may substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion unless it is essential to further a compelling governmental interest.” A state delegate added on LinkedIn: “If you are concerned that the executive order allowing medical and personal exemptions for vaccines in West Virginia will put everyone in danger, consider this: every state surrounding us already offers exemptions.”

Yes — we as parents, teachers, health care providers, educators, school nurses, child care providers, working professionals, business owners, and West Virginia citizens are concerned about any changes to our policy (which already offers medical exemptions), and for good reason. To us, our kids, and our communities this concern falls firmly under the rubric of “compelling government interest.” Let us outline some of the reasons why:

• West Virginia leads the nation with its effective immunization policy, which has inspired other states to adopt similar measures (and on the flipside, no state has added non-medical exemptions through legislative action in more than 20 years). Our policy is highly effective for all West Virginians, moving the state’s immunization rates prior to the age of 5 (which is among the lowest in the nation) to some of the highest rates of immunization in the country for school-age children. High rates of immunization are essential to keep infectious diseases at bay. Our school immunization policy offers the crucial milestone for kids to catch up on protection as they enter the school system. 
• Even one child’s immunization status can impact an entire community. Experts have explained to me that when our immunization rate is high enough to support herd immunity (for example, 95% of a population immunized to achieve herd immunity for measles), that helps prevent a disease from spreading. When every child who is medically able gets immunized, that protects not only that child but those around them in their schools and communities, too. This is particularly important in our child care facilities, where many babies and small children are too young to get certain shots, so they rely on those around them for protection. There are approximately 109,000 children under 5 years old in West Virginia. And that’s just our youngest vulnerable communities — there are even more who rely on protection from herd immunity (such as our elderly, pregnant and immunocompromised residents).
• For those with medical reasons not to be vaccinated, West Virginia currently has an effective process in place for medically necessary exemptions from the child care and school immunization policy. 

Let’s also consider just a few examples among many that illustrate what our state is currently doing a great job of preventing:

• 83 young children died in the United States territory of Samoa in 2019 after relaxing legacy childhood immunizations for highly infectious diseases such as measles, pertussis and polio in the wake of government complacency, disinformation campaigns that sowed distrust in vaccines, and a suspension of routine immunizations schedules, leaving them unprepared and exposed when the disease returned on its shore from an infected traveler from New Zealand. 
• Reports have shown that in surrounding states such as Ohio with lax immunization requirements, recent measles outbreaks not only put 35 young children in the hospital, but also cost the state an estimated $3.5 million to remediate 77 cases. 
• Due to a measles outbreak in Washington state in 2019, approximately 800 children who were considered exposed had to stay home from school up to three weeks, devastating the local economy and working families’ access to child care and their ability to go to work.
• As of January 2024, in other states that allowed for these exemptions, several measles outbreaks in Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are already shattering records of this previously eradicated disease, with cases outpacing the entire year of 2023. Of these cases, 89% were unvaccinated; but the concerning statistic is the number of patients who had been vaccinated — 7% of the cases had one dose of the MMR vaccine and 4% of cases had two doses of the MMR vaccine.
• A man contracted polio in New York in 2022 after the United States had not seen a case in over three decades.
• As of December 2024, our neighboring state of Pennsylvania has the most cases of whooping cough in the nation (a disease that can be deadly, especially for babies), whereas West Virginia has the least.
• In 2019, while 31 states faced measles outbreaks and some saw polio cases, West Virginia had none. 

Supporters who seek to change the school immunization policy to expand beyond non-medical exemptions often invoke a desire for religious or philosophical freedom. However, such freedoms have always been balanced against the risks they might pose to others. This nation was founded on the principle of a “social contract,” which underscores that a free and fair society depends on balancing individual liberties with collective responsibilities. To enjoy societal protections like security, health, education and survival, individuals must sometimes accept certain limits on personal freedoms to safeguard the health and safety of other citizens. 

For example, a person of legal age can make the individual decision to drink alcohol, and they absolutely have the freedom to do that; this person does not, however, have the freedom to drive drunk due to the threat that the behavior poses to others on the road. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children have access to alternative educational options and can exercise their constitutionally protected right to education; they simply cannot join our schools’ congregate settings to put others at higher risk of the contagious diseases that the school policy has protected against for decades. 

As the president of the West Virginia Women’s Alliance (WVWA), a cross-partisan organization dedicated to lifting up women and children in West Virginia, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with West Virginians last year at over 20 events we hosted. From “House Parties” with working mothers and families to “Cocktails and Conversations” with candidates and elected officials from both sides of the aisle, we were able to share our top concerns and hear their vision on how to make West Virginia a place we can all thrive. 

We also participated in numerous symposia, forums, conferences, and events to learn about our most pressing issues and explore areas of opportunity to improve outcomes for all West Virginians. One common thread we continue to encounter is the deeply shared pride in our state and how much we all sincerely want West Virginia to win. In countless conversations, we have heard and continue to hear that keeping the child care and school immunization policy the way it is, nation leading and paving the way for other states, is a top desire across the state. In fact, many of these supporters are leaders from various churches who also advocated for former Gov. Jim Justice to veto a bill last year that would have also altered the policy, as they also wish to protect kids and vulnerable populations. 

In this era of deep political polarization, the WVWA is working to bridge divides and encourage bipartisan collaboration to address the urgent challenges facing our state, especially those impacting quality of life for West Virginia women and children. While we have seen notable economic development wins and other advancements, several significant issues remain that demand our collective focus and cooperation. Addressing these pressing problems will require innovative ideas and a united effort.

To our elected West Virginia leaders and representatives, we sincerely ask you: please slow down before making a decision on any policy to weaken these requirements for your younger fellow citizens and constituents who cannot vote, who cannot donate to your campaign, who do not have lobbyists to come meet with you, who do not have a voice or power but who deserve our care and protection all the same. 

Do not allow the statistics at the beginning of this article to only be numbers on a page but take time to read the articles and look at the pictures outlining the helplessness and despair of the many families who needlessly lost a child due to government complacency. With stakes as high as these, do not act with impunity but peer out from partisan foxholes, review data and reviewed evidence, and reply on subject matter experts and doctors who have spent decades of their lives after taking the Hippocratic Oath “to do no harm” to inform your decision — not on debunked fringe theories, unsubstantiated claims or dogmatic ideologues.

While strong political parties are vital to our democracy, they should not function as rigid monoliths. Every elected representative has a duty to serve as a thoughtful steward for their constituents, prioritizing their well-being through informed and discerning decisions. True leadership requires the courage to rise above the loudest voices, to carefully consider verifiable facts, and, most importantly, to adapt and change one’s mind when the evidence demands it. If any voices should guide your decision, let it be the tragically too-late pleas from the parents of needlessly lost children, the chorus and refrain of “God, why? Why, my baby?”

To my fellow West Virginian parents, families and neighbors: it is never too late to stand up for our kids and communities. Reach out to your representatives. Call them, email them, and set up meetings with them. Engage respectfully, as the art of civil discourse and constructive debate has unfortunately become rare but remains essential for achieving the best outcomes through collaboration and compromise. 

Differing party affiliations or stances on issues should not make you disloyal or sworn enemies. With stakes as high as these, we should heed the words of others who have experienced the consequences of poor policy decisions. After experiencing the devastation of the measles deaths in neighboring Samoa, the governor of Hawaii Josh Green said, “Vaccines and public health vaccination programs are not just medical interventions; they are also moral imperatives. They embody our commitment to saving lives, ending disease, and protecting the health and well-being of future generations.”

This is not a time for apathy but a call to action to make our state the best it can be — not just for those with resources or power, but also for those who need our support the most. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy continues to inspire so many, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”