Should SC keep students with religious exemptions for measles out of schools?

In a South Carolina county where nearly 1 in 10 students are exempt from being immunized, measles cases have ballooned this year. It’s led one Democratic lawmaker to push for eliminating the religious vaccination exemptions for measles, mumps and rubella.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton, proposed barring children who are not vaccinated against measles from attending school or daycare, as long as they don’t have a medical exemption. Matthews represents a Lowcountry district without any confirmed cases, but she said the outbreak impacted everyone in the state.

“Anything that impacts one part of South Carolina impacts us all,” Matthews said. “I’m worried now that it is in this little area in Spartanburg and Greenville, now it’s come down to Sumter. That’s close to me.” Matthews represents Colleton County.

When asked how his Spartanburg district has been impacted by measles cases, state Sen. Lee Bright said his constituents are concerned about “medical freedom.” He does not believe the General Assembly should be involved in people’s immunization decisions.

“I think a lot of people are concerned about medical freedom now,” Bright said. “After what we went through with COVID, they don’t want to be forced to take vaccines, and I think that’s what I’m hearing mostly.”

Parents can obtain religious or medical vaccine requirement exemptions for their children in South Carolina. A vast majority of exemptions are religious. The exemptions allow children to bypass vaccine requirements and still attend school or daycare.

South Carolina has become the epicenter of measles outbreaks, outpacing the number of cases confirmed in Texas during its 2025 outbreak. Cases have been concentrated in Spartanburg County, where religious exemptions for vaccines are the highest and have doubled since 2021, according to state data.

In Spartanburg County, 9.6% of students have religious exemptions, according to state Department of Public Health data. That means almost 5,500 students have religious exemptions in the county. As a comparison, about 3% of Richland and Lexington County students have religious exemptions

State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, has encouraged residents to receive MMR vaccinations and school districts to balance “religious liberty” and public safety.

“I’m afraid what’s happening is people aren’t as concerned as I wish they would be,” Kimbrell said. His district has been the most impacted by the outbreak, Kimbrell said. He asked parents who did not vaccinate their children against measles to limit some of their activities.

There have been 950 cases of measles reported in South Carolina since October, according to Friday data from the state Department of Public Health. A majority of cases have been unvaccinated and in Spartanburg County. Immunization rates in the state and Spartanburg skyrocketed in January, said Department of Public Health epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell on a call with reporters last week. Vaccine rates in Spartanburg County rose 162% in January, she said.

While a majority of cases have been in the Upstate, people in Sumter and Lancaster counties also have confirmed measles.

Matthews said protecting children as measles cases grow in the state inspired the bill. After speaking about her proposal on the Senate floor in early February, Attorney General Alan Wilson slammed the bill in a statement, arguing it infringes on parents’ freedom.

“Eliminating religious exemptions and mandating medical decisions by force is not who we are as a state or country,” Wilson

But Matthews said her bill did not force parents to vaccinate their children. It only kept unvaccinated students without a medical exemption from attending public school or daycare.

“I think you have a choice,” Matthews said. “Everything in parenting, there is a choice. Either you vaccinate the child or keep the child home, if you decide not to. It’s real simple. Keep the child home, homeschool the child or put the child in an environment so that it will not infect other children.”

No other senators have co-sponsored Matthews bill, and it does not currently have a scheduled committee hearing.

Some other members of the Spartanburg delegation, a vast majority Republican, have said it’s important for South Carolina to maintain religious exemptions.

State Rep. Josiah Magnuson, R-Spartanburg, said the state should continue to “respect” religious exemptions. If the exemptions were ever curtailed, he said the General Assembly should provide tax incentives or grants for people to educate their children outside public school.

“I don’t see there being a role at this point for government to try to stick its nose into it,” Magnuson said. “But again, I think it’s something that I am concerned by, and I want us to stay on top of it.”

Kimbrell said he doesn’t see the General Assembly passing sweeping legislation pertaining to the measles outbreak, but he would support more funding and resources for childhood vaccinations and boosters in the Upstate.