By Steve Keenan, The Register-Herald
BECKLEY — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the concept of protecting religious liberty for state families.
At the same time as he stressed the importance of allowing religious exemptions for vaccine requirements, Morrisey drew positive response from a crowded room at the Tamarack Conference Center by throwing his support behind legal action filed Tuesday in Raleigh County Circuit Court. In the civil lawsuit against the West Virginia Board of Education, the Raleigh County Board of Education, State Schools Superintendent Michelle Blatt and Raleigh County Schools Superintendent Serena Starcher — filed by attorney Aaron Siri, of Siri & Glimstad LLP — Raleigh County mother Miranda Guzman is seeking a religious exemption for her daughter from mandatory vaccinations.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, Guzman’s request is grounded in her faith-based objections to the use of fetal cells to develop vaccines. The release noted that Guzman and her daughter initially received an exemption under Morrisey’s executive order enforcing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2023, but the Raleigh County Board of Education later denied the exemption.
