Duncan Smith addresses the measles outbreak and MC USA’s position on vaccines and medical exemptions.
Duncan Smith has been director of The Corinthian Plan, MC USA’s healthcare plan for pastors and church workers, since 2014. Previously, he served as a conference minister and several pastorates, including transitional interim positions. Smith’s pastoral experience spans both urban and rural settings.
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By now, you have likely heard reports of a measles outbreak, which has killed at least one person to date and sickened more than 290 others in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. It has been determined that the epicenter of this outbreak is a Mennonite community in Gaines County, Texas.
Who are the Mennonites at the center of the measles outbreak?
Mennonite Church USA is one of more than 40 distinct Anabaptist and Mennonite groups across the United States. The Mennonites in Gaines County are separate from Mennonite Church USA. They are part of a group referred to as Old Colony Mennonites. They originated in Russia, eventually emigrating to the United States in 1977 through Canada and Mexico and settled in Gaines County. They are borne of the 16th Century Radical Reformation like all Anabaptists, but, similar to the Amish, they have maintained their traditional old-world lifestyles and conservative practices. The group in Texas primarily speaks, Plautdietsch, a Low German dialect, dresses plainly and generally sends their children to their own schools. Vaccination rates in this community have been historically low.
What do Mennonites believe about vaccines?
Mennonite Church USA is the largest Mennonite denomination in the U.S. We share many similarities with these other Anabaptist groups in terms of our faith beliefs around baptism, peacemaking, community discernment and the centrality of Jesus. However, the ways in which we live into these principles varies.
MC USA encourages health and well-being and the respect of medical and science professions and standards. The denomination does not make statements that would interfere with an individual’s personal medical decisions. Within MC USA, we have agreed on these statements:
- All human life is a gift of God and of immeasurable worth in God’s sight.
- God calls us to act in the best interests of our neighbor (Matthew 5-7 and 22:39 – 40; John 15:17; 1 Corinthians 10:24).
- We believe that the invitation of discipleship is to be accepted voluntarily, not imposed legally upon everyone regardless of conviction.
- The faith community should be a place for discernment for difficult medical decisions.
Our community discernment was severely tested during the COVID-19 pandemic, as congregations grappled with confusing news reports and decisions over whether to meet, mask, sing and visit.
Our advice now, as then, is two-fold:
- Be aware of local, state and federal health guidelines.
Current recommendations at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) support the use of vaccinations. Children get two doses of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years old.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, all 50 states and Washington D.C. have laws requiring certain vaccines for students to attend school. Many states align their vaccine requirements with recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. However, state laws vary regarding non-medical exemptions, for religious or personal reasons. Texas is one of 30 states that provide religious exemptions.
As a denomination, MC USA does not request vaccine exemptions for our members on behalf of our religious beliefs.
- Exercise careful decision-making and interest in the needs of others.
Measles spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the virus can remain in the air for up to two hours. Measles can lead to serious complications, illnesses and death, especially among the most vulnerable. Vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration have been proven to be safe and the most effective way to prevent measles.
We pray for our brothers and sisters of the Old Colony Mennonites in Texas as they deal with the measles outbreak in their community.
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