Hawaii House Bill 1118, introduced in 2025 by Representative Nadine Nakamura, removes non-medical exemptions (like religious ones) for school-aged children’s required vaccinations, effective July 1, 2030. Only medical exemptions from a licensed healthcare professional will be allowed. Children with existing religious exemptions for the 2024-2025 school year are grandfathered in and can stay in their current schools. The bill responds to rising exemption rates (from 2.5% in 2015-2016 to 5.3% in 2023-2024) and aims to maintain “herd immunity” (95% vaccination rate) to protect vulnerable kids from outbreaks. Students with special education plans still get needed services.
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Movement, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., does not support this bill because it eliminates parents’ right to choose non-medical vaccine exemptions, clashing with MAHA’s core principle of health freedom. By mandating vaccines without personal or religious choice, the bill supports Kennedy’s concerns about coercive medical policies that may prioritize pharmaceutical interests over individual rights. MAHA champions informed consent and diverse health paths, and this bill risks eroding trust in public health by removing family autonomy in children’s medical decisions.
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