Two years ago Beacon News West Virginia did an interview with Dr. Alvin Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, one of the leading voices in the Mountain State educating the general public and policymakers on medical ethics and bringing attention to issues surrounding the state's vaccine policies.  

In the years since this interview (embedded below) not much has changed in West Virginia.  We remain as only one of five states in the country that does not allow religious and/or philosophical exemptions to mandatory vaccines for school children.

West Virginia sides with New York, Connecticut, Maine and California in this regard.  It's a shocking reality for a state that boasts a red supermajority and has done much to protect the unborn with pro-life legislation. It's absurd in light of every border state allowing for these exemptions and public schools routinely crossing state lines to engage in sporting competitions. 

Even though Governor Morrisey issued an executive order to allow for religious exemptions on his second day in office (Jan. 2025), citing the Equal Protection for Religion Act (EPRA), the events that followed created a trail of chaos rather than a clear path forward.  Many families who had been waiting on this liberty in order to send their children to public school, found their hopes dashed by school administration who refused to acknowledge the executive order and denied them entry. 

Currently, the WV Department of Education remains firm in their opposition to religious freedom and the legal cases brought forth over this injustice now await review by the WV Supreme Court. 

As Dr. Moss mentioned in his interview, it is imperative that people educate themselves on any medical procedure recommended to them, especially when considering that many physicians now practice passive consent rather than informed consent.  The former assumes agreement with little discussion while the latter presents a choice based on risk v. benefit analysis regarding any drug or procedure under consideration. Informed consent is a pillar of western medicine that evolved from the Nuremberg Trials after WWII. 

Thankfully, America is witnessing the rise of organizations whose goals are to truthfully inform and educate a population weary of medical and pharmaceutical propaganda. Among those to consider are: 

Do No Harm- Founded in 2022, the 54,000 member organization represents "physicians, nurses, medical students, patients, and policymakers focused on keeping identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice" according to their website.  They have a well organized website that is easy to navigate and offers succinct answers to their mission and advocacy work on upholding medical ethics. 


West Virginians for Health Freedom - this 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization began in 2018 and is comprised of West Virginians focused on "educating people about parental choice without discrimination regarding the health of our children.  We also focus on educating parents on the school admission required vaccination schedule along with the risks associated with each vaccine." according to their website.  You can read about their billboard campaigns as well as watch videos in their "Face to a Case" campaign. 


National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) -Co-founded by Barbara Loe Fisher in 1982, this is another non-profit that serves as "an independent clearinghouse for information on diseases and vaccine science, policy, law and the ethical principle of informed consent. NVIC publishes information about vaccination and health to encourage educated decision-making." as posted on their website.  Their law & policy section includes detailed information on both federal and state vaccine policy and history. 

Stand for Health Freedom- this grassroots movement began in August of 2019 and is now a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that serves to protect the health of families by empowering people to contact their elected officials. According to their website, they have helped to "empower over 966,000 individuals to contact their elected officials and others in positions of influence with the right message at the right time. Together we have taken over 6.5 million actions through our specialized portal to preserve and promote informed consent, parental right, religious freedom, freedom of speech and privacy."



Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN)- Founded in 2016 by Del Bigtree, "ICAN was created with the goal of providing every person with the right to informed consent. We believe that by holding regulators accountable through our successful legal actions, individuals will become empowered to make truly informed decisions about their own health and the health of their families. Using an unprecedented legal strategy, ICAN has successfully won lawsuits against Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration." - from their website. They have a streamlined platform with links to many helpful resources including The HighWire, their own video podcasts covering medical topics. 

 

The following interview is from 2024.  Although legislation from that year is discussed and now outdated, the majority of what Dr. Moss shares remains relevant to medical ethics in West Virginia.