Amish vs. the State: New York's Vaccine Showdown and What’s at Stake

Podcast: Anabaptist Theological Perspectives · Jerry Eicher

Opublikowano: 2026-10-31

Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives examines the escalating conflict between New York state and Amish communities over the removal of religious vaccine exemptions for children. He summarizes the state-imposed fines for running unvaccinated schools, the Amish refusal to pay, and the legal trajectory that has reached the Supreme Court. Eicher places the crisis in historical context, recalling mid-20th-century fights over private Amish schooling that helped establish current rights to private and home education, and he recounts the famous photograph that shifted public opinion. He also contrasts responses within Amish communities (e.g., Lancaster) where some...