By Esteban Fernandez, The Register-Herald
BECKLEY — Day two of the hearing on religious vaccine exemptions hinged on the question of whether or not granting two students religious exemptions or philosophical exemptions would open the flood gates to 570 more requests.
Two families from Raleigh County are requesting an injunction to prevent the State Board of Education from denying their religious or philosophical exemptions to the state’s compulsory vaccine law. Their request is based on Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s executive order creating the exemptions, despite the state legislature denying the governor’s efforts to weaken the state’s vaccine law through legislation. Under state law, only medical exemptions to the compulsory vaccine law are allowed.
Attorney Denali Skye Hedrick represents the West Virginia Department of Education, and Attorney Aaron Siri represents the plaintiffs. Siri has close ties to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The West Virginia Board of Education and the Raleigh County Board of Education are defendants in this case. A teacher identified only as “Jane Doe” intervened in the case based on her medical status as immunocompromised.
On day one, Dr. James Neuenschwander testified on behalf of the plaintiff. Neuenschwander faced disciplinary action on a charge of negligence and incompetence from the State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for failing to consult with an oncologist after encouraging a patient undergoing breast cancer treatment to discontinue her cancer medication and rely on a hormone therapy inappropriate for the patient’s cancer instead. The cancer returned after the patient followed his advice. Neuenschwander entered into a consent order where he was fined $2,500 while having the incompetence charge dropped.
