On October 31, Advocates for Faith & Freedom announced that they have filed a lawsuit challenging SB 277 on behalf of four California parents, arguing that it constitutes religious discrimination and interferes with parents’ right to make health decisions for their children.

Fox News reports that the lawsuit, which names state Attorney General Rob Bonta as a defendant, notes that California “allows immigrant and homeless children to attend public and private schools without proof of vaccination” but “cannot demonstrate that religiously exempt students pose a greater risk than secularly exempt students. The exempt unvaccinated children under SB 277 are still free to sweat in weekend sports leagues together, participate in public extracurricular activities, and sit through hours of services at churches and synagogues.”

The complaint adds that through researching the issue, the plaintiffs came to learn that “many of the required childhood vaccines were derived from aborted fetal cells,” making them “complicit in abortion” by using such vaccines. “[E]ven if a vaccine is not directly associated with aborted fetal cells, they are still made by manufacturers who profit from the use of aborted fetal cells.”

“People of faith should never be discriminated against through legislation,” said AFF vice president and legal counsel Mariah Gondeiro. “We are standing up for parents of all faith backgrounds who want access to a quality education and medical autonomy over their children.”

“Medical autonomy and quality education are not mutually exclusive, and the government should not mandate parents choose one over the other,” added AFF president Robert Tyler.