Health Action MA

At a legislative briefing hosted by Health Action MA, Alida — a lawyer, mother, and immigrant — shared how her Indigenous and ancestral faith guides her life and family. As Massachusetts considers bills that would remove religious exemptions for school attendance, her story highlights what is often missed when policymakers focus only on “major” religions. Religious freedom exists to protect minorities — not just beliefs deemed acceptable by the majority. No child should ever be denied access to education because of their sincerely held religious beliefs. Thank you @MoncadaAlida for being brave and sharing your heartfelt story so publicly. #HealthActionMA #ReligiousFreedom #EducationForAll #ParentalRights @maryhollandnyc @AaronSiriSG @teacher_choice @standforhealth1 @MaryBowdenMD @healthactionma

They were trained to follow orders… but sworn to defend the Constitution. During COVID-19, U.S. service members were given orders many believed were unlawful—and told their careers depended on compliance. Some obeyed. Others refused. Nearly all paid a price. Duty to Disobey reveals what happened to those who stood their ground—and why their story matters to every American. This is more than a film. It’s a wake-up call. 🎬 WORLD PREMIERE + Q&A 📍 Embassy Theater Waltham, MA 🗓 June 30 | 7:00 PM 🎟 Get your tickets now — limited availability 👉 Tinyurl.com/DutyMA Hosted by: Health Action MA A Tommey Burrowes production of a CHD film

🚨 BILL UPDATE: S.2623 — REPORTING DATE EXTENDED TO TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2026 S.2623 – An Act Promoting Community Immunity - Presented by Senator Becca Rausch. This bill would expand state control over immunization policy while limiting parental involvement and medical discretion. It allows minors to consent to vaccines without parental knowledge or age and mental capacity guidelines, requires doctors to sign exemption forms—which may lead to patient dismissal—and mandates annual state approval for exemptions with no clear appeal process. It may also restrict access to medical exemptions for medically fragile children and introduces “Elevated Risk” designations tied to a state-defined herd immunity threshold—potentially leading to public labeling and exclusion of healthy children, even without an outbreak. Extensions like this are not uncommon. Health Action MA will continue to monitor this bill and provide updates, tools, and support. 📌 Follow us and sign up for our newsletter to stay informed if this bill moves. #HealthActionMA #Massachusetts #BillUpdate #MAleg #MedicalFreedom #SchoolPolicy #PublicHealth #MAParents

🚨 BILL UPDATE: H.2554 — REPORTING DATE EXTENDED TO MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2026 H.2554 – An Act Relative to Routine Childhood Immunizations - Presented by Rep. Andres X. Vargas. If enacted, this bill would eliminate the religious exemption for school immunization requirements for K–12 students in both public and private schools across Massachusetts. This could impact access to education for families who rely on religious exemptions and raises concerns about educational equity and inclusion. Extensions like this are not uncommon. Health Action MA will continue to monitor this bill and provide updates, tools, and support. 📌 Follow us and sign up for our newsletter to stay informed if this bill moves. healthactionma.org #HealthActionMA #Massachusetts #BillUpdate #MApoli #ReligiousFreedom #SchoolPolicy #PublicHealth #MAParents

🚨 BILL UPDATE: H.2496 — SENT TO STUDY H.2496, a bill aimed at prohibiting harmful artificial food dyes in competitive school foods, has been sent to study in Massachusetts. In MA, “sent to study” means the bill will not move forward this session. We appreciate Rep. Joe McKenna’s leadership on this issue and efforts to support student health. Stay informed and follow along: HealthActionMA.org/2025–2026-Bills #HealthActionMA #Massachusetts #BillUpdate #SchoolHealth #MApoli #PublicHealth #FoodPolicy #MAParents

🚨 BILL UPDATE: H.2541 — SENT TO STUDY H.2541, a bill focused on protecting and strengthening medical exemptions for school immunizations, has been sent to study in Massachusetts. In MA, “sent to study” means the bill will not move forward this session. We appreciate Rep. Mike Soter’s leadership on this issue and his efforts to support children’s health and protect medical decision-making. 📌 Stay informed and follow along: HealthActionMA.org/2025–2026-Bills #HealthActionMA #Massachusetts #BillUpdate #MAleg #MedicalFreedom #SchoolPolicy #PublicHealth #MAParents

BILL UPDATE: H.1815 — SENT TO STUDY*
 H.1815 – An Act Enhancing Access to Abortion - Presented by: Rep. Sally Kerans This bill would remove §12F’s prohibition on minors consenting to sterilization and abortion, allowing qualifying minors to access these services without parental knowledge or consent. It also expands the state’s minor consent law to allow minors to consent to preventative medical care—including vaccinations—without parental involvement, regardless of age or intellectual capacity. Reported by committee to the Clerk’s Office for processing and will accompany a study order. In Massachusetts, “sent to study” means the bill does not advance this session. H.1815’s companion bill S.1244 remains with the Joint Committee on the Judiciary with an extended reporting date of Thursday April 2, 2026 Stay informed and follow along:
HealthActionMA.org/2025–2026-Bills #HealthActionMA #Massachusetts#BillUpdate #MAleg #ParentalRights

The U.S. Supreme Court just acted in Mirabelli v. Bonta, allowing a court order blocking school policies that kept parents uninformed about a student’s social transition. The Court signaled parents are likely to succeed on religious freedom claims — reinforcing that parents have primary authority over their children. As Massachusetts debates bills expanding minor consent (S.2623, S.1244/H.1815) and removing religious exemptions for school vaccines (H.2554), the constitutional questions around parental rights and religious liberty are becoming more relevant. Follow @HealthActionMA HealthActionMA.org #healthactionma

📢 MASSACHUSETTS BILL UPDATE: S.1244 EXTENDED The reporting date for S.1244, An Act Enhancing Access to Abortion Care, has been extended to Monday, March 2, 2026.
 H.1815 remains in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. These bills are presented as expanding abortion access. However, Sections 2–4 quietly amend Section 12F — dramatically expanding minor consent law in Massachusetts. If passed, these changes would: • Allow minors to consent to preventative medical care — including vaccinations — without parental involvement
• Remove the current statutory prohibition preventing minors from consenting to sterilization
• Provide no minimum age requirement for consent
• Keep medical records confidential from parents absent explicit permission This is not a small technical change.
 It is a fundamental shift in parental rights and medical decision-making. Parents play a critical role in understanding medical history, risk factors, and long-term consequences. Removing them from these decisions creates serious ethical and legal concerns. 📌 We urge legislators to STRIKE Sections 2–4 from S.1244 & H.1815. Stay informed.
Stay engaged.
 Join us at 👉 HealthActionMA.org to learn more. #S1244 #H1815 #HealthActionMA

🚨BREAKING STUDY: MMR and MMRV Vaccines Linked to 2,657% More U.S. Deaths Than Measles Infection Since 1995 We found an ALARMING number of deaths among infants and toddlers shortly after MMR/MMRV vaccination in VAERS — often involving SIDS, seizures, and cardiac arrest ⬇️ Pharma-captured mass media and public health agencies have centered almost exclusively on the minimal dangers of measles infection and ignored grieving parents whose children were injured or even killed by the shots. No proper attention has been paid to signals emerging within the federal government’s own vaccine safety database. Now, our new McCullough Foundation study titled “Deaths Following MMR and MMRV Vaccination in the United States,” takes a comprehensive look at reported fatal outcomes following MMR and MMRV vaccination in the United States, doing the work that our public health agencies should have done many years ago. Our analysis of the federal VAERS safety database identified: 📍536 total global reports of death following MMR or MMRV vaccination 📍299 death reports explicitly attributed to the United States Among those 299 U.S. reports: 📍60.9% occurred in children under age 2 📍52.2% occurred specifically in the 12–15 month first-MMR dose window 📍52.8% occurred within just 14 days of vaccination 📍40.1% occurred within 7 days 📍74.6% occurred during visits where MMR/MMRV was given alongside additional vaccines 📍Commonly reported clinical presentations included SIDS or sudden unexplained death (24%), seizures (12%), cardiac arrest (8%), fever (15%), respiratory distress (7%), and encephalitis (3%). The deaths were heavily concentrated in the routine first-dose window and tightly clustered in the days immediately following vaccination. Since 1995 in the United States: 💉193 MMR/MMRV death reports with identifiable dates have been submitted to VAERS 🦠 7 measles infection–associated deaths have been recorded by the CDC That represents a 2,657% higher count of reported vaccine-associated deaths compared to measles deaths in the modern era. Less than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported to VAERS, meaning the number is likely FAR higher. In conclusion, we identified a serious mortality safety signal following MMR/MMRV vaccination in the United States. A substantial number of reported deaths were documented, with patterns demonstrating pronounced alignment across age, temporality, routine-dose timing, concomitant vaccine exposure, and recurring clinical presentations—including fever, seizures, SIDS, and cardiac arrest. A vaccine should NEVER be deadlier than the disease.

FEDERAL UPDATE 🇺🇸 💬 Do you think families should have the option to go directly to civil court? 👇 Comment YES or NO — and tell us why. Two proposed federal bills (H.R. 4668 + S.3853) would significantly change how vaccine injury claims are handled under federal law. Right now (since 1986): Most families must file in the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) first — and civil lawsuits against manufacturers are significantly limited. According to the House bill text (H.R. 4668), this proposal would: • Allow direct civil lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers
• Keep VICP available — but no “double recovery”
• Eliminate the VICP statute of limitations
• Remove PREP Act liability protections for COVID-19 vaccines (Source: Congress.gov, February 2026) This would be a major shift in federal vaccine liability policy. Follow @HealthActionMA as we monitor federal developments.

H.2554 would remove the religious exemption for school vaccinations in Massachusetts. At Health Action MA’s legislative briefing at the Massachusetts Statehouse, a Massachusetts physician who works with families of children with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities shared: Marginalized children represent a large proportion of students in our public education system. According to DESE: • 55.8% of public school children are considered high needs • 42% are low-income • 20% have disabilities • 36% are children of color According to the Massachusetts Autism Commission (2021–2022): • 26,000+ students with autism are served in Massachusetts schools While we don’t have specific demographic data on the 1% of students using the religious exemption, those families will necessarily include many children who are: • autistic • high needs • special needs • low-income It’s crucial that we avoid policies that inadvertently harm vulnerable populations. Join Health Action Massachusetts to protect access to education for all children. 🔗 Visit HealthActionMA.org, check the link in bio to sign up for updates, resources, and action alerts. #HealthActionMA #ReligiousExemption #H2554

Learn the Facts - Part One Bill H.2554 would eliminate the religious exemption for K–12 vaccination requirements — permanently excluding children with exemptions from school and preventing access to education. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, roughly 1% of children use a religious exemption and most are missing just one or two vaccines while otherwise remaining vaccinated. Join Health Action Massachusetts to protect access to education for all children. 🔗 Visit HealthActionMA.org, check the link in bio to sign up for updates, resources, and action alerts. #HealthActionMA #ReligiousExemption #H2554

In this powerful moment from our legislative briefing, a dedicated school nurse shares the emotional weight of enforcing policy. If the religious exemption were removed, she would bear the responsibility of expelling students she knows and cares for. This isn’t abstract policy — it’s real people, real families, and the humanity behind these decisions. Her role is to protect every child’s health: healthy students, students with medical conditions, students with disabilities, students with religious exemptions, immigrant and homeless children — all children, not just some — while promoting inclusion and maximizing time spent learning in the classroom. This testimony speaks directly to Bill H.2554, introduced by Representative Andy Vargas, which would eliminate the religious exemption for K–12 students in both public and private schools across Massachusetts. Join Health Action Massachusetts to protect access to education for all children. 🔗 Visit HealthActionMA.org, check the link in bio, or comment NEWSLETTER to sign up for updates, resources, and action alerts. #HealthActionMA #religiousexemption #H2554

Proposed bill H.2554 would remove the religious exemption for vaccination in Massachusetts, impacting about one percent of K–12 students—many of whom have high needs, special needs, or come from low-income households. Policy decisions have real-world consequences. Exclusion from education causes lasting harm. Join Health Action Massachusetts to protect access to education for all children. 🔗 Go to HealthActionMA.org to sign up for updates, resources, and action alerts. #HealthActionMA #EducationForAll #massachusetts

At Health Action’s legislative briefing on H.2554 — the bill that would remove the religious exemption for school attendance — attorney Pompeii Britt addressed one of the most common arguments we hear: “No major religion opposes vaccination.” You’ve undoubtedly heard this claim. It’s a loaded statement, meant to suggest that if a belief opposes vaccination, it therefore cannot be religious — and as a result, is not protected by the Constitution. That is simply incorrect. Both the United States Constitution and the Massachusetts Constitution broadly protect religious belief and religious exercise. There is no requirement that a belief be written into the official doctrine of a “major” or organized religion to receive constitutional protection. Decades of Supreme Court and Supreme Judicial Court precedent make this clear: A belief may be religious — and constitutionally protected — even if it differs from beliefs more widely held by others in the same faith, a different faith, or even if the individual belongs to no denomination at all. Religious freedom exists to protect minority and individual beliefs, not just those held by the majority. 🔔 Stay Informed. Stay Engaged. Follow us and join us as we work to preserve education for all in Massachusetts and protect religious freedom. 👉 Visit HealthActionMA.org to sign up for our newsletter, access resources, and stay updated on important action items. #HealthActionMA #ReligiousFreedom #EducationForAll