SC State Senator introduces bill ending religious exemptions for measles vaccine

by Marley Bassett

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A South Carolina state senator has introduced a bill that would end religious exemptions for the measles vaccine.

State Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, filed a bill Friday that would ban people from claiming religious exemptions as a reason for not getting the MMR vaccine before going to public schools.

Bright Matthews’ filing comes as South Carolina has seen one of the worst measles outbreaks in the country, with 920 total cases across the Upstate and Midlands.

South Carolina Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Alan Wilson has already spoken out against the bill, saying in a statement that it violates religious freedom rights.

“This bill goes too far. Since 2020, we’ve seen a concerted push to curtail personal liberty in the name of health and safety. Eliminating religious exemptions and mandating medical decisions by force is not who we are as a state or country,” he said. ”The right to be free from compelled bodily intrusion is at the heart of the American experiment. Government should not substitute its judgment for parents, families, or individual conscience."

The bill has been referred to the Senate Medical Affairs Committee.

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