Massachusetts’ vaccine laws are failing to protect our students. Right now, a growing number of families are using religious exemptions to opt out of school immunization requirements, leaving schools vulnerable to dangerous disease outbreaks. Measles—one of the most contagious diseases—only requires a small drop in vaccination rates to spread rapidly. With over 1,000 cases of measles surging across the nation, the time is now to close the loophole in our state’s vaccine law.

Massachusetts legislators have the opportunity to protect our children from deadly outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease by supporting H.2554 and S.1557. The bills will eliminate loopholes in our school-ready vaccine laws while protecting the right of every parent to make the best decision for their child in partnership with their healthcare provider.