CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia senators voted to dismantle one of the nation’s strictest school vaccination policies Friday by greenlighting an exemption for families who say mandated inoculations conflict with their religious or philosophical beliefs.

Most of the discussion on the Senate floor on Friday came from lawmakers arguing against passage of the bill, but the passage vote was overwhelmingly in favor, 20-12 with two absences.

After a three-day delay, the West Virginia Senate approved Friday a bill to allow parents and guardians to cite religious or philosophical concerns to get out of the state’s mandatory immunization requirements for school-age children,

A bill to create a religious exemption for school children's vaccination requirements has passed the West Virginia Senate.

The West Virginia Senate passed a bill allowing vaccination exemptions in public schools to accommodate religious conviction or moral grounds.

The West Virginia Senate approved a bill on February 21, 2025, allowing religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions for schools, marking a departure from one of the nation's strictest vaccination policies.