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Using Religious exeption for School Physicals and Vaccinations  

post #1 of 38
7/28/04 at 4:35pm
Thread Starter 
Has anyone used the religious exemption for school physical examinations?
post #2 of 38
7/29/04 at 12:45am
Great question......one that I am interested in to. Since I just recently moved here
post #3 of 38
7/31/04 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone -- I have to make my decision w/ in 3 weeks.
post #4 of 38
8/2/04 at 2:24pm
Thread Starter 
bump
post #5 of 38
8/3/04 at 2:48pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, the time is creeping up on me. I received a letter in the mail today requesting the immunizations and physical exam.
post #6 of 38
8/3/04 at 3:45pm
What kind of testing do they do? I'm just curious, don't live in VA.
post #7 of 38
8/3/04 at 11:35pm
I don't know what the status of Naturopathic Docs in your state is, but when I lived in Oregon I just took my DD to our Naturopath and she would do a physical and happily sign anything we needed her to. In Oregon NDs are licensed and have the authority to sign forms... and Chiropractors do as well, for some reason! I think for the most part those forms are just some paper to have on file-- and if there is nothing too remarkable about your child's medical history, perhaps you could just do that? Often I find that if I just say Dr. So and So is our Doc, that the question of what kind of a doc doesn't really come up. Just a thought.... good luck!
post #8 of 38
8/4/04 at 10:44am
I use the religious exemption for not vaxing but i wish i had used it for the physical too. ds is entering k and had to have one, in NC we cannot use our acupunturist or ND for this. Soo i just took him to a clinic that i was refered to because they are okay with the not vaxing. We went, it sucked...90 bucks for them to weigh and measure him, look in his ears, and go to the end of the room, hold up somme fingers on each hand for him to count andd say his vision is perfect/ I am not kidding this is all they did. my 9 yo could have given her brother this physical- i joke you not.
I really feel jipped, the state required thst i waste my time and money for nothing. Then upon leaving they said"shall we set up his appt for 6 month follow up" I almost died laughing- no not at this point thank you.....
so yes i should have simply written a letter religiously removing my family from this.....
post #9 of 38
8/4/04 at 12:13pm
What test are you worried about?

The lead test, unless you live in a high lead area, is just a question and answer thing.

The vision test, they either hold up their fingers or ask them to read letters. And the hearing, if they speak and the child responds, that's considered good.

My experience was similar to lovetoall's. One of my cats could have given my son the physical. And I would have preferred to pay her the $90.
post #10 of 38
8/4/04 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
state doesn't permit anyone other than a physician (licensed in state) to sign the form, if they did I'd take him to the doc we see the most -- our Chiropractor.

The physical exam exemption reads as follows:

D. Such physical examination shall not be required of any child whose parents or guardian shall object on religious grounds and who shows no visual evidence of sickness, provided that such parent or guardian shall state in writing that, to the best of his knowledge, such child is in good health and free from any communicable or contagious disease.


It looks easy enough. I just need to decide whether or not my religious beliefs would infact support such a decision.
post #11 of 38
8/4/04 at 12:32pm
Thread Starter 
I have a problem, a very big problem with the blood and urine screenings. I also have a problem with re-peat test just b/c it's required on some form. I have a problem with anyone asking a doc to assess cognitive development for a child he/she has seen for a whole 5 minutes!

I don't take myself or my children to docs just because. I treat anything they do get at home with herbs. If for some reason those measures don't work, then I will go into a doc. I've only had to do this twice for my older child -- poison ivy and pneumonia. And once for my newborn, we both had staph infections, not something to mess around with.

I just don't want to deal with the system.
post #12 of 38
8/4/04 at 12:58pm
I hear you and understand, completely about not wanting to deal with all of that.
post #13 of 38
8/4/04 at 1:32pm
OMG! I never had a blood draw until I was 13 and extremely ill, but it was so painful and awful when I was already feeling bad. I wouldn't want to subject my son to that unless there was a specific problem we were looking for. I'm shocked they draw blood from every child! Why on earth do they need to do that, what kind of data are they gatering and how is it stored? Wow. I just don't even know what to say. I wonder if NC does that too.
post #14 of 38
8/4/04 at 8:41pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, thank goodness i'm not the only mother that thinks blood draws on young children is an aweful thing particularly with no just cause attached to it.

But it still doesn't justify a religious exemption for a physical examination -- just a philisophical one which isn't an option here in VA.
post #15 of 38
8/5/04 at 10:01am
ITA_-
not wanting to get involved.I too treat my kids at home with alternative methods. IMO our philosophy on this is our religious reasons............ our whole belief system and what we hope our children will gain from it.
post #16 of 38
8/5/04 at 10:18am
I guess if it were me, I would look at my religious reasons for declining vax's and seem if the same reasoning applies to physicals/invasive testing. I don't see that the two are mutually exclusive either.

I was raised in a religion that was opposed to medical intervention (be it alliopathic or naturopathic). We certainly had the option to avoid vax'ing and physicals. My mother did end up bowing to social pressure when we were school-aged and we recieved some vax'es...I think I was about 5 and older sister was about 9. I never had to have a "physical" until I was in junior high and wanting to do sports. And that was a breath in and cough affair...no blood involved. I cannot image doing blood and urine draws as a standard testing practice on small children. Thankfully, they don't seem to do that in MI. If they did, I would certainly try to get an exemption from it...it seem crazy.
post #17 of 38
8/5/04 at 11:01am
Thread Starter 
Thank you for all your insightful comments. It's reassuring to know that I'm not crazy for wanting to keep my child from invasive procedures just for the sake of a gov form.
post #18 of 38
8/5/04 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 
I'm so tired, I've been researching and reading on-line and I'm tired.
post #19 of 38
8/5/04 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electra375
But it still doesn't justify a religious exemption for a physical examination -- just a philisophical one which isn't an option here in VA.
Actually I find the entire concept of distinguishing between a religious vs. philosophical belief to be a violation of freedom of religion. Your beliefs are your beliefs, whether they come from inside you or from a book.
post #20 of 38
8/6/04 at 10:35am
If you don't want him to take the tests/physical, I say sign the form. It is not a binding forever kind of thing, if you don't want it to be. You CAN change your mind later, if you find a compelling reason to have a physical done, like entry into sports for example...
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