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The content in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. We are not attorneys, and no attorney-client relationship is established by its use. Any decision to pursue a vaccine exemption under Michigan Compiled Laws (MCL) 333.9215 or other laws is made at your own risk.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Michigan for Vaccine Choice Celebrates Major Victory for Parental Rights and Medical Autonomy in St. Clair County

  • Connie Johnson
  • Jan 22
  • 4 min read

Unanimous Advisory Board Endorsement of Dr. Remington Nevin’s Memorandum Marks Step Forward in Protecting Informed Consent and Vaccine Choice

Troy, MI – January 22, 2026 – Michigan for Vaccine Choice today applauds the St. Clair County Advisory Board of Health for unanimously endorsing a landmark memorandum from Medical Director Dr. Remington Nevin that advances true vaccine choice and reaffirms parental rights in medical decision-making.

During a public meeting on January 21, 2026, all seven board members voted to formally support Dr. Nevin’s January 14, 2026, memorandum and directed Health Officer Liz King to implement its recommendations. The action came amid passionate public comment from more than 20 residents, highlighting strong community support for policies that prioritize informed consent, bodily autonomy, and protection from coercive state mandates.


A majority of people in St. Clair County—and across Michigan—support vaccine choice, reflecting widespread preference for voluntary, informed decisions over universal recommendations or administrative pressure. By unanimously endorsing Dr. Nevin’s recommendations, St. Clair County is taking a bold step to become a vaccine choice sanctuary county: a place where families can access a harassment-free exemption process, free from unnecessary barriers or coercion, while exercising their statutory rights to medical decision-making autonomy.


Michigan law already recognizes that all childhood vaccines required for school and daycare attendance are optional. Parents have an absolute right to exemptions based on religious convictions, other objections, or medical and ethical grounds—including the absence of full, uncoerced informed consent. Dr. Nevin’s memorandum builds on these protections by responding to widespread erosion of public trust in health agencies and aligning local policy with updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance that emphasizes individualized and shared clinical decision-making.


The memorandum outlines three forward-looking recommendations:

  1. Endorsement of Updated CDC Guidance Formally adopt the CDC’s revised childhood, adolescent, and adult immunization schedules, which now recommend many vaccines—including influenza, COVID-19, and the hepatitis B birth dose—on a risk-based, individualized, or shared decision-making basis with a trusted provider rather than universally. This approach contrasts sharply with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which continues to promote universal recommendations despite low voluntary uptake (e.g., fewer than 70% of Michigan parents choose the hepatitis B birth dose, and fewer than 25% received a flu shot this season).

  2. Fully Online Vaccine Exemption Process Implement a streamlined, fully digital exemption system for school and daycare requirements, allowing parents to complete the process online with digital signatures, immediate certification, and no in-person requirement—removing administrative barriers that discourage families from exercising their statutory rights.

  3. Alternatives to State Vaccine Data Tracking

    Promote compliance with opt-out rights under Michigan law for the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR), which auto-enrolls children at birth and frequently flags them as “overdue” for vaccines no longer universally recommended by the CDC. The memorandum calls for periodic compliance monitoring, stronger opt-out enforcement, and encouragement of paper records as a privacy-respecting alternative, especially as simplified CDC schedules reduce routine vaccine doses.

In his remarks during the January 21 meeting, Dr. Nevin emphasized readiness to commit county resources to legal action if needed to defend these policies, stating: "the question before you is really: Is this an issue that is important enough to recommend committing county resources to? And I would hope that the answer to that would be yes."


 He further explained viewing MDHHS actions as arbitrary and capricious, anticipating that "it may be necessary in order for us to defend these changes to take the state to court to challenge what I view as their arbitrary and capricious interpretation of state regulations—to defend our residents' right to vaccine choice," and expressing confidence in prevailing while directing the health department and attorneys to assist in this effort if the state does not engage in good faith.


Public comment during the meeting underscored the real-world impact of state overreach. Columbus Township resident Andrew Eberly shared his family’s ongoing experience with MDHHS enforcement of vaccine registry rules (Rule 12) and school exclusion:

“Our sons were removed from Armada Schools on October 31st... Our (exemption) statement was rejected and our sons have been removed from school unless we submit to the invasive requirement of registering our sons with the local health department... MDHHS is advising schools to remove healthy children from class solely because parents refuse to be placed on their registry... Our school's leadership has prioritized unfair policies over their own students. They targeted my family by reporting my sons as truant. A deputy was sent to my house the very day my sons were denied entry at the school despite them having nearly perfect attendance... Through our situation, MDHHS has exposed the true motivations of 2015's Rule 12 are to register student health information, not protect public health. If parents refuse to hand over private data, schools are directed to bar students from class.”

He added: “I thank Dr. Nevin and this board for your efforts to keep MDHHS out of our private business. Your work will positively affect students across Michigan.”


Michigan for Vaccine Choice commends Dr. Nevin, the Advisory Board of Health, and every resident who participated in defending one of Michigan’s core protections: the right of parents to make informed medical decisions for their children without government coercion. Michigan remains one of only 16 states that allow non-medical exemptions, and we are committed to educating families, supporting voluntary choice, and resisting policies that undermine privacy and parental authority.

The endorsed memorandum now advances to the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners for consideration on January 22, 2026.


About Michigan for Vaccine Choice

Michigan for Vaccine Choice is a statewide, non-partisan, parent-led organization dedicated to protecting and expanding informed consent, medical freedom, and parental rights in vaccination decisions. We provide education on Michigan vaccine laws, support families exercising exemptions, and advocate for policies that respect individual autonomy.

Media Contact:

Michigan for Vaccine Choice

Phone: +1 (484) 613-3824

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