Federal health watchdog threatens funding over religious vaccine exemption fight

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The religious exemption to West Virginia compulsory immunization law created by Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s January executive order is being litigated, with arguments before the state Supreme Court of Appeals likely.

But federal health officials are threatening funding cuts if religious exemptions are not honored.

Paula Stannard, director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights (OCR), sent a letter Thursday to the West Virginia Department of Health and local health departments reminding them of their obligations under the federal Vaccines for Children Program (VCP).

Stannard wrote that now that a religious vaccine exemption is in place, it is the duty of state and local health officials to comply with Morrisey’s religious vaccine