Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill that eliminates state religious exemptions for childhood vaccines.
The law applies to everyone attending public and private schools, colleges, daycare and child care centers. The law grandfathers any students who have already been granted a religious exemption.
"This is an issue that I have spent a lot of time researching and discussing with medical experts, and it is something that I take very seriously, knowing the public health impact that it has on our children, families, and communities," Lamont said in a statement.
2,000 protesters gathered outside the statehouse in Hartford in opposition of the new law and are planning to file a federal lawsuit, claiming it is unconstitutional to force people to vaccinate their children against their religious beliefs.
Connecticut is the sixth state to eliminate its religious exemption for vaccines, joining California, New York, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Maine.
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