Seattle Catholic schools to require vaccinations
FREE Catholic Classes
Children who attend Catholic schools administered by the Archdiocese of Seattle must be vaccinated and can no longer claim personal or religious opposition to vaccines, the archdiocese announced earlier this week.

Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
10/4/2019 (5 years ago)
Published in Health
Keywords: HEALTH CARE, SEATTLE, WASH., US
Seattle, Wash., (CNA) - Children who attend Catholic schools administered by the Archdiocese of Seattle must be vaccinated and can no longer claim personal or religious opposition to vaccines, the archdiocese announced earlier this week.
"We decided it was time to update the school policy for immunizations to make sure it's reflecting our Catholic teaching," Helen McClenahan, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Seattle, said on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The new policy only permits exemptions for medical reasons, such as an allergy to the ingredients in a vaccine.
Analysis of all schools--public and private--located in the archdiocese shows that some communities have vaccination rates well below what is required for herd immunity. Data from 2018 indicates that some Catholic schools in Seattle have sixth-grade MMR/pertussis vaccination rates that are lower than most developing countries, and are comparable with vaccination levels in Somalia and Afghanistan.
Other Catholic schools in the area have much higher rates, including many with more than 90% of students vaccinated.
The new policy will officially take effect in January, but students have until the start of the 2020-2021 school year to get up to date on vaccinations.
Some people are unhappy with the new policy, and picketed the archdiocese with signs against what they have deemed "coerced vaccination." One sign stated "Would Jesus kick a healthy child out of school?"
Bernadette Pajer, who is the co-president of Informed Choice Washington, an organization that promotes vaccine exemptions, was present at the demonstration. She said she was "appalled" at the changes, and said that the archdiocese was not protecting religious freedom.
"We don't want our right to say 'no' taken away," said Pajer.
Pajer said that she does not want her son to receive vaccinations, and that she feels as though vaccinating her son would be sinful.
The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, which studies vaccinations among many other ethical questions, disagrees with the analysis that vaccinations are sinful.
In 2017, the academy released a statement saying there was "a moral obligation" to be vaccinated, and that "all clinically recommended vaccines can be used with a clear conscience and that the use of such vaccines does not signify some sort of cooperation with voluntary abortion."
In 2005, the academy considered the moral issues surrounding vaccines prepared using cell lines obtained from abortions. They concluded, in part because of the passage of time and the generations of research since the original use of the aborted remains, that it is both morally permissible and morally responsible for Catholics to use these vaccines.
The document also noted that Catholics have an obligation to use ethically-sourced vaccines when available, and when alternatives do not exist, they have an obligation to speak up and request the development of new cell lines that are not derived from aborted fetuses.
Last year, Washington state experienced the highest number of measles cases the state had seen in decades. Washington has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, and has the third-lowest rate of children who receive the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine.
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
- Easter / Lent
- Ascension Day
- 7 Morning Prayers
- Mysteries of the Rosary
- Litany of the Bl. Virgin Mary
- Popular Saints
- Popular Prayers
- Female Saints
- Saint Feast Days by Month
- Stations of the Cross
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Michael the Archangel
- The Apostles' Creed
- Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony
- Pray the Rosary

What Really Happens to the Brain During Pregnancy? A Catholic Look at One Groundbreaking Study

Pope Leo XIV to Religious Sisters: Let God Be Your Everything

Catholic Online AI Open Letter
Daily Catholic
Daily Readings for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
St. Junipero Serra: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Prayer of the Chalice: Prayer of the Day for Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Daily Readings for Monday, June 30, 2025
First Martyrs of the See of Rome: Saint of the Day for Monday, June 30, 2025
- Good Night My Guardian Angel: Prayer of the Day for Monday, June 30, 2025
Copyright 2025 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2025 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.