Americans United for Separation of Church and State, joined by 11 religious and civil rights organizations, today urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to protect public health from religion-based attacks. In an amicus brief filed in the lawsuit Royce v. Pan, AU and allies urged the court to reject a request brought by a Christian Nationalist organization on behalf of a handful of California parents seeking religious exemptions from the state’s vaccinations requirements for public school children. 

Religious freedom not a license to subvert vaccination laws and threaten public health

“Religious freedom is never a right to put other people’s lives at risk,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “This fundamental American freedom ensures that we are all treated equally under the law and allowed to live as ourselves and believe as we choose – as long as we don’t harm others. It is not a license to subvert state vaccination laws and threaten public health. 

“The lower court’s decision in this case is consistent with our country’s history of protecting public health and safety,” Laser added. “Courts have repeatedly affirmed that religious freedom does not give religious objectors blanket immunity from secular laws. We urge the 9th Circuit to follow this long line of precedent and reject the plaintiffs’ demands for a religious exemption from California’s public school vaccination requirements.”

Organizations joining AU on the brief include the American Civil Liberties Union and its three California branches; Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice; Global Justice Institute; Hindu American Foundation; Methodist Federation for Social Action; Metropolitan Community Churches; Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus; and Society for Humanistic Judaism.

The brief was authored for AU by Constitutional Legal Fellows Luke Anderson and Jess Zalph, Senior Litigation Counsel Amy Tai, and Associate Vice President and Associate Legal Director Alex J. Luchenitser.