Parents of unvaccinated kids in New York were forced to rethink their decision to skirt public health practices this week when a judge banned 50 children from attending Green Meadow Waldorf School. The private school is located in Rockland County, New York, which CBS News reports has already tallied 146 confirmed cases of measles this year alone.
The ruling, which was issued by a federal judge, will prevent the 50 students from attending school for at least three weeks. The decision addressed an injunction filed by several parents of unvaccinated kids who wanted their children to be allowed back to the school. Needless to say, things didn’t go their way.
“The plaintiffs have not demonstrated that public interest weighs in favor of granting an injunction,” U.S. District Court Judge Vincent Briccetti reportedly said during his explanation of the ruling.
The parents — who failed to provide their children with the measles vaccine which prevents the disease in 97% of people — were not pleased with the judge’s ruling.
“Preventing my child from being with his class, his teacher, his classroom, has had a significant social and psychological impact,” one parent told Journal News. “He is confused, given his young age, about why he isn’t allowed on his campus.”
There are several states that allow parents to opt out of vaccinations based on various beliefs, but the debate or whether the measles vaccine works has long since been settled. It works, and at one point measles was declared eradicated in the United States entirely.
Unfortunately, an erroneous “study” which has long since been debunked and retracted ignited a debate over whether the vaccine was responsible for autism, among other things. Subsequent research has proven those notions to be false, and while there is a miniscule chance that an individual may have a negative reaction to any type of vaccine, the bulk of most anti-vaxxer arguments are based on bad or nonexistent science.
Going forward, it won’t be surprising to see more rulings like the one in New York as public health officials and authorities do what they can to curb the spread of a disease that was once eliminated in the country.
