Witness a NY Religious "Sincerity Test" for Vaccine Exemption

By Rita Palma

This can’t happen in America. But it can in New York.

You’ll see a ‘sincerity test’-- conducted by a school attorney when my husband and I filed a religious waiver to refuse vaccines for our boys. David Cohen, attorney for our school, wanted to make supersure that we really, really believed in God. Of course, those people who lie about their belief in God are much more prone to diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, etc.—those disease-ridden atheists must be kept out of the public schools.

(There are three You Tube videos of the test.)

We failed our ‘sincerity test’- twice.

The first time, Mr. Cohen asked us about the vitamins I give my kids, “Why fish oil, Mrs. Palma?” He asked about the foods I serve and the medicines I use.  He accused me of forging a vaccine record.  The Board of Education President, Jim March, said that since I had an ‘invasive’ Titers test done on my son, how could I truly object to vaccines? 

We appealed to the Commissioner of Education who upheld the denial- five days before school started. We appealed; NYS Supreme Court dismissed our case as moot. But only after I explained to the judge that he could not waive immunization requirements. He thought he could personally decide what was needed for school admission. “If the disease is not so contagious then you don’t have to get the shot, right?” he says. So much for the court system.

The second ‘truth-test’and it’s all about God, me and Mr. Dave. “Do you have conversations with God? Does He tell you not immunize? If God is on your side, can He be on the side of those who immunize? If God created man and man created vaccinations, how can accepting vaccines represent a mistrust in God? Have your religious beliefs changed in two years?”  The video speaks for itself. Ninety minutes of harassment, outrageous questions and praying my husband (and me) would stay in his seat.

Mr. Cohen said it is part of the ‘sincerity’ to reconcile my Faith. But does religion reconcile? Does it make sense? Whatever your answer is, we believe anyway-- it’s called Faith. Mr. Cohen didn’t get it so I got an “F” for sincerity.  He believes that in order for me to believe something, he has to believe I believe it.

The law provides an exemption that fits squarely with our beliefs.  All we wanted to do was follow the law and we were treated worse than criminals. The school berated, harassed, intimidated, humiliated and outspent us.

Should it be the decision of a school board to decide if we believe in God and what to put into our children’s bodies? What, after all, do we truly own in life? Our kids, our souls, our beliefs, our convictions.

The policy of my school is to cross examine and deny. A dozen other couples have been tortured by the ‘Team Vaccine’  of Bayport- Blue Point School District. One parent was told to come down for a ‘few minutes’.  Three hours later, she left in tears—asked the same questions, over and over and over. Another parent has to ‘re-up’ the waiver every year—they have to tell the wise and powerful Board that yes, my beliefs are still the same as last year.

Another couple took them to court and won. Others avoid the ugliness and attend Catholic School. Be sure to watch Part 3, minutes 3-4 of the video as Mr. Cohen discusses these people and their options. Cohen admits that those with sincere religious beliefs get denied anyway.

Is this America? Or, ‘Alice in Wonderland’- where up is down, black is white and the Mad Hatter is judging the sincerity of my soul? Can this go on in a country founded on religious freedom? Does America mean something, or was it just a really neat idea? Were our founding fathers drinking too much toddy and this whole thing really can’t work after all? How can they get away with this?

Schools are their own government in New York. They can, if they choose, thumb their noses at the guidelines that the NYS Education Department sets. They can ignore ‘mandates’, Open Meetings Laws and Freedom of Information Laws. They make their own rules and break others. Unless a parent has a bottomless pit of money to litigate, the school gets to play Lord of the Fiefdom; we are the serfs. While most are run by good people, the arrogance of some reflects badly for the many.

I handed in a medical waiver; bona fide and acceptable by any other school. Rejected by the ‘Team Vaccine.’  Again, they can legally do it.

What if I had a vaccine-injured child that I did not want to vaccinate? What if this child needed public school services? What if Mr. Dave and the ‘Team Vaccine’ denied these waivers, I crumbled and the child died as a result of additional vaccine injury? Who do I shoot first? Myself?

I am determined to reclaim a right that no parent should ever lose and it has been a test of faith. Faith that our Legislators will improve our laws so parents are not subjected to a modern-day witch hunt. Faith that more parents will wake up to the fact that vaccines cause more tragedy than they are led to believe. Faith that the medical establishment will own up to the half and hidden truths they’ve peddled for decades at the expense of families. Faith that parents will be able to ‘opt in’ and never be harassed by a buffoon attorney or an arrogant, ignorant Board of Education. Faith that I will earn the good fortune that God gave me and pass laws that will help other parents live their beliefs.

In the years since I turned my back on vaccines, I’ve met hundreds of strong, smart parents that will make these things happen.

Did I immunize? This is America, and in spite of the government, there are still choices.

Rita M. Palma
ritapalma@mykidsmychoice.com

Comments

[amy]

Beginning the fight to get our kiddo into school even though we refuse to give any more vaccines after our 5 year old was diagnosed with Aspergers. I cannot believe that some people on here pump their kids full of these drugs knowing full well they dont work! Veronica wants us to keep our kids home so that her kids dont get sick from our unvaccinated kids. I just want to know if you make a practice of injecting your kid with anything the govt throws your way with your fingers crossed that A) it works and your kid doesnt get deadly chicken pox and 2) that in the process of fending of the great poxs outbreak of 2011 your kid doesnt become non-verbal, mental retarded, or even die. I cant rationalize that even a .00001 percent chance of something bad happening to your kid is more scary than chicken pox!

[Sarah]

So, any ideas how an 18 year old going to college in Brooklyn, NY deals with this vaccination exemption issue. In Virginia, where he thought about going, he had to do the exemption himself because of his age.
What do we do?

[samaxtics]

Carolyn M, thanks for your response.

I have lived in the US, actually my son with autism was born in NY; he’s a recipient of the vaccinate with Hep B at birth program. (the program where we live now is to give the Hep B vaccine in grade 5 which we declined with no issues for our youngest son.) Whilst in NY, my husband had excellent insurance through his company and I was happy with the healthcare we were given and the timeliness in which it was provided. We moved to Canada not too long after my son was born so I have no idea what sort of insurance we would have had had we stayed in NY and what it would have covered in terms of autism. However based on what my husband’s boss in the US pays for his insurance premium, I don’t think we could have managed to have me stay at home and help recover my child without a second salary to cover the premium.

Regardless, the point of my previous point was to address the misconception that people have that because the healthcare is universal the government will have greater control over your body. If that were truly the case then it seems to me that Canada should be the country that has the requirements/mandates for school entry vaccination and not the US under its private health care. My perspective is that the pharma companies in the US are heavily influencing government policy. I am sure it happens here in Canada but not to the same degree as it is the government that has to pick up the tab. As an example: when I first moved to NY I paid the same amount for just one month of birth control that I paid for a whole year of birth control in Canada. Pharmas are not allowed direct to consumer advertising here which is what jacks up the price of prescriptions.

As far as therapies such as ABA, sadly it is a provincial and not a federal matter and varies from province to province. The province I live in covers $60,000 a year for ABA up to age 18. The Yukon covers therapy up to 19 years of age with no maximum. Families are also eligible for funds to cover respite, transportation for appointments, babysitting for siblings, summer camps etc. I believe the last contract we had was for around $12,000 to cover those things for the year(I'm sure parents whose children are more severe receive a bigger fund). We also receive a monthly disability cheque that is based on income and is to acknowledge the added expense of raising a child with a disability.

[Terri Lewis]

Veronica,

Since immunized children can also become sick and spread disease, then your immunized kids are a risk to my kids, too.

All kids are a risk to all other kids, although some kids are certainly more of a risk.

But since we rarely check to see which kids develop antibodies to their vaccines, and which ones don't, there's really no way to tell.

Your kids may be carrying any number of diseases without showing symptoms and they could hurt my kids, who apparently can't be vaccinated safely.

Maybe you should keep your kids at home, instead, if you want their world to be utterly without risk.

[Carolyn M]

Samaxtics -

I am glad that you appear to be satisfied with your healthcare system. I live in the US, and I have been subject to government-provided healthcare. That experience has shown me that government-provided healthcare is not desirable for children who have autism. Under that system, my daughter's GI issues were very inadequately addressed (gross understatement); she was not diagnosed with autism until she was nearly 4.5 years old, and a doctor pushed an unnecessary Risperdal prescription on me for my daughter (which I did not fill). That system paid for very little of her autism-related treatment. (At one point it did partially reimburse for ABA, but then they changed the requirements to mandate that the therapist performing the ABA must be BCBA - eliminating the possibility of any reimbursement for us.) It was only when we obtained non-government provided health insurance that we started getting any significant reimbursement. By the way, the government-provided healthcare system I have been speaking of is very pro-vaccine.

We would be much better off with insurance mandates (properly worded) that with universal healthcare.

[samaxtics]

Jeoff, I live in Canada which as you may know has universal healthcare. Vaccination is not required for school entry. (There are I think 3 provinces that require the DTaP and possibly the MMR however religious, philosophical and medical exemptions are available.) No system is perfect however I would rather have healthcare policy dictated to me by someone who is elected to their position as opposed to someone who is not elected and whose concern is just for their shareholders. Seriously think about that for a minute. The government here is responsible for the healthcare of its citizens and yet does not mandate/require vaccination.

Veronica, two things. If your children are vaccinated why the concern? Herd immunity is to protect those that cannot be vaccinated. Oh, like some of our children. Second, are you privy to the vaccination status of all the adults working in your child’s school? Surely you don’t believe that it is only children that carry and spread disease?

[Veronica]

Yes. There are still choices. And when your choices place my kids at risk in the public schools, I will continue to applaud the schools for denying your un-immunized children to attend.

[jeoff]

So, how many of you are excited about nationalizing healthcare so our government can be responsible for all of your health care decisions? I am not. (even though i think that vaccinating my children is the right thing to do).

[Milivica Caly]

Parents with typically developing children have NO IDEA what it's like, parents of special needs children can easily end up experiencing a 'Viet Nam' instead of school years, as can the child. Somehow, it's kept an 'invisible' plague in the media and on television, rarely do we even hear when schools kill disabled children. Even a bus ride can mean death for your child, it's happened many times over on 'the little bus'.

The IDEA Act works about as well as Civil Rights did in the 50's.

Children with special needs are absolutely the new victims of 'Jim Crowe' for disability rights, both in the school system and in the adult world. All those laws, what a crock. Laws that aren't practiced are useless, a bunch of hot air.

I had to 'catch' my school, locking my autistic child in a closet with a bucket for a bathroom so long he'd fall asleep. By fifth grade, he was finally able to talk well enough to explain this to me. I, assuming he was explaining something wrong, asked the teacher who admitted it almost as if bragging. Whirling in disbelief, I yelled that she was a detriment to my child and I didn't want her near him. An hour later, I was in JAIL, arrested for FELONY disorderly conduct...mind you, it was after school, no kids were there, I yelled one sentence, didn't even so much as swear. My 9 year old bailed me out with her savings. Though it never went to court (dropped by the DA, then dropped by my city who was unaware I had even been in jail!). The school's legal team took me to court, I was lawyerless, lost so was prohibited from being on school grounds or yelling at the teacher but not from talking to her - though I had removed my child at that point. The school then began to pursue truancy against me with the state and various other tactics to show what angels they were and what a bad mom I was.

The agencies I contacted are too numerous to mention, the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago did investigate and dismiss the case finding no wrong on the part of school, the Coalition for Advocacy said there was 'no case' since restraint and seclusion is not illegal in my state when a school does it!!, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Civil Rights can you believe gave me the run around telling me to contact the agencies that had already dismissed my child being locked up and given a bucket for a bathroom on a daily basis. Lawyers wanted more in three hours than we make in a week - what about our other kids?

So yes, I did remove my son from school the day after my arrest, he has not been back since. The teacher is still there...last parent I spoke to arrived there to find her autistic child bleeding and shirtless, she was in the 'time out room' tearing at her own chest gasping for air as she was secluded without her inhaler for asthma. Last child I saw her with was being carried down the hallway, feet off the ground by 2 aides 'Jesus Christ' style begging for help cause it hurt, later an ambulance removed him from school., etc...

Like I said, parents unfamiliar with special education would absolutely not believe what we go through. If I'd read what I'm writing 10 years ago, I'd have ranted, "No way would I let school or anyone get away with that". Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing you can do against the government, school is government. Cops and judges automatically presume them innocent, maybe if your last name is Hilton you can make a change. I've devoted years to this, and not made one iota of change to benefit future children and parents.

It is truly Alice in Wonderland, trying to make sense of the power schools yield to break the law. If even a 13 year old babysitter did what my school did, they'd be in an adult prison. The surreal part, somehow school staff became the 'victims' and parents the villains. In all the back and forth of the fight, the main point - the children, are completely lost in the scuffle.

So frustrating, so life draining and joy depleting. I feel for you, I really do.

I'm happy to say now, my child is in a school that nourishes both his academic and spiritual gains - not religious, spiritual. They treat him like a boy, as he now puts it, "I don't get locked up like a zoo animal no more, I like that".

[Colleen, RN, pissed off mother of 4]

Supremacy Claus,
You obviously are extremely ignorant as the definition of ignorance is "the condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed". I don't know if you are uneducated, but you are clearly UNAWARE AND UNINFORMED. I am a registered nurse, have studied vaccines for 10 years, and I would challenge you to go to your nearest walk-in clinic and ask to receive each and every vaccination that you think small children should be receiving. Then, please do let us know the status of your health AFTER receiving these vaccines. I would guess that you have NO CLUE what you are spouting off.