Writer: Tim Belizaire
•7/31/2026
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WINK) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote an open letter Friday suggesting Catholic schools that do not grant religious exemptions to vaccine requirements could jeopardize their eligibility for state educational scholarship programs.
In the letter, Uthmeier said it has come to his attention that "Catholic schools in Florida might refuse to grant religious exemptions to vaccine requirements for the 2026-2027 school year".
Uthmeier argued Florida law requires public and private schools to honor written religious objections to required vaccinations.
Uthmeier wrote that at least one Catholic diocese appears to have embraced the position of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, which states:
Catholic schools or a Catholic diocese cannot grant an exemption from vaccination on religious grounds since the Catholic Church does not teach that the use of vaccinations produced in cell lines derived from tissue from an aborted fetus is intrinsically evil.
The Attorney General said in the letter, "As a Catholic, I am confident that the teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children against the sincerely held religious objections of their parents."
Uthmeier urged Catholic schools to comply with Florida law by granting religious exemptions to vaccination requirements.
He warned that schools that fail to comply could risk their eligibility for state educational scholarship programs.
"I therefore urge Catholic schools to comply with Florida law and grant religious exemptions to school vaccine policies. Failure to comply could jeopardize eligibility for state educational scholarship programs."
The Attorney General requested a written response from Sheedy by Aug. 7.
