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WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Parents and their children delivered powerful testimonies before a recent Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) hearing, revealing how state laws eliminating religious exemptions for vaccines have denied thousands of children access to education and forced devastating sacrifices on families of faith.
Their testimonies highlighted a clear message: sincere religious beliefs should never bar American children from equal access to education or healthcare.
During the RLC’s sixth hearing which focused on religious liberty violations in healthcare, two mothers and their daughters described years of exclusion, financial hardship, and emotional suffering after New York and California removed religious exemptions for required vaccines. The panel also featured Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Nancy, a mother from New York, and her daughter Isabella described how the 2019 repeal of New York’s religious exemption – a right that had stood for over 50 years – changed their lives forever.
On her seventh birthday, Isabella lost her right to go to school. After years of isolation and forced homeschooling, the family now drives three hours each day to an out-of-state Christian school at great financial and emotional cost.
“No child should ever have to go through what I did,” Isabella told the commission. “All children in the United States should have equal opportunities and access to education regardless of their faith.”
“The state treated me as though I was dangerous and sick,” Isabella shared, “I carry the effects to this day.”
“Family should not be forced to sacrifice education, employment, financial stability, and the peaceful enjoyment of life in order to maintain religious convictions as they raise their children,” added Nancy.
The family expressed deep gratitude to the Trump administration “for finally giving us a voice.”
In California, single mother Karen and her seven-year-old daughter Riley Grace told a similar story. Because of a state law enacted in 2015 which removed personal beliefs as cause for exemptions from vaccination requirements, Riley is homeschooled while her mother works full time, yet still watches other children walk to school each morning.
“My heart breaks in ways I never expected,” Karen testified. Little Riley added with simple honesty: “I pray to go to school like others.”
RLC Commissioner Allyson Ho spoke directly to the mothers and daughters with deep admiration: “To watch your child be hurt and to stick to your principles is next level courage.… God is going to do amazing things.”
Kheriaty addressed conscience rights for both healthcare workers and families.
Responding to Commissioner Kelly Shackelford’s question about pediatricians dismissing patients who decline vaccines – noting that many practices appear to do so because they are financially incentivized by the CDC’s recommended schedule – Kheriaty explained that the number of shots has ballooned dramatically.
“When I was a kid … there were 18 shots,” he said. “Today, there’s between 72 and 90” to follow the full schedule, turning routine well-child care visits into a major revenue source for pediatric practices.
Kheriaty called for stronger federal conscience protections and open scientific debate: “Science advances by asking inconvenient questions.… The attempt to control speech within science and medicine … is not only something that violates the First Amendment … but it’s also bad science and bad medicine.”
During the hearing, the commissioners repeatedly returned to the theme of parental rights.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan reminded the panel of the landmark principle fromPierce v. Society of Sisters: “The child is not the creature of the state.”
“This week’s hearing was an important step, but we are calling on the Religious Liberty Commission to include the three key recommendations from our June 4, 2025, coalition letter in their final report and presentation to President Trump this May,” said Elyse Young, founder of Guiding the Impact, which facilitated the testimonies. “Real change requires implementing these concrete recommendations so that no family is ever again forced to sacrifice their child’s education or healthcare to live according to their faith.”
Connecticut Residents Against Medical Mandates Secretary Amber Webster expressed her excitement and deep gratitude to Donald Trump and the Religious Liberty Commission for elevating the voices of families impacted by the removal of religious exemptions for childhood immunizations.
“We are incredibly encouraged to see a national platform finally acknowledging the real and lasting impact these policies have had on families in Connecticut, New York, Maine, and California,” said Webster. “For many, this struggle began as early as 2019, and for years, parents have felt silenced, dismissed, and excluded from meaningful dialogue. Now, they are finally being heard.”
