Amish Community Considers Exodus from New York Over Vaccine Mandate as Supreme Court Appeal Looms

The Amish community in New York is preparing to take its legal challenge over the state’s school vaccine mandate to the U.S. Supreme Court. Some families have indicated they may leave the state if the mandate is upheld, raising concerns about the community’s future in the region. The dispute centers on New York’s 2019 decision to remove religious exemptions from vaccination requirements for schoolchildren, a policy implemented under then-Governor Andrew Cuomo following a significant measles outbreak.

The policy has led to financial penalties for schools that fail to comply. Three Amish schools — Shady Lane School in Clymer, Pleasant View in Heuvelton, and Dygert Road School near Canajoharie — have faced a combined $118,000 in fines since 2022. The Amish community, which numbers around 25,000 in New York, has been fighting the mandate in court since 2024, arguing that it infringes on their religious beliefs. Attorney Aaron Siri, representing the plaintiffs, stated that the Amish “don’t want to be in this position” but feel “left with no choice.”

The Supreme Court recently sent the case, Miller v. McDonald, back to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for further review. After the appeals court ruled against the Amish again, their attorneys plan to seek Supreme Court review next month. If the challenge fails, some members of the community may consider relocating, possibly to Pennsylvania, which is currently experiencing a measles outbreak. Recent reports indicate that two unvaccinated individuals in Lancaster County, home to a large Amish population, died from the disease — the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year and Pennsylvania’s first in 35 years.

New York State Department of Health officials have defended the mandate, stating their responsibility is “to protect public health, keep New Yorkers and their families safe and enforce the law fairly and equitably.” The ongoing legal battle highlights the tension between public health mandates and religious freedoms, a challenge that continues to shape the community’s decisions and future.

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