Audio from the August 7, 2019 Edition of The Paul Edwards Program

PART ONE

PART TWO

Grand Traverse County Pressures Pastors to Pressure Parishioners on Vaccinations

“As a spiritual leader for your community, you are charged with guiding your congregation along the right path.”

• “We are reaching out to you as part of the Northern Michigan Vaccine Preventable Disease Task Force. Local health departments are no longer permitted to discuss religious concerns related to vaccination when counseling a parent who is seeking to waive vaccine(s) for their child(ren). Individuals or families with doctrine-related questions about vaccines will be encouraged to seek out the guidance and perspective from their clergy on these matters. Therefore, with representatives from Munson Medical Center, the regional Health Departments, and community stakeholders, we have created a Toolkit for Religious Leaders.”
• “Please use this toolkit to help guide your parishioners on immunizations against the various contagious diseases. You can also educate parents about the risks of having an unvaccinated child.“

NYT: Measles Outbreak: N.Y. Eliminates Religious Exemptions for Vaccinations

CNN: New York county takes ‘extremely unusual’ step to ban unvaccinated minors from public places amid measles outbreak

• “Public places include synagogues, churches, schools, restaurants, stores and public buses. “Public places are defined as: a place where more than 10 persons are intended to congregate,” the news release says.”

WP: Judge rules New York county can’t ban unvaccinated children from schools, parks