The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passes a law requiring all children to be vaccinated for Hepatitis B before the age of five. Jonas and Jennifer Yoder are members of the Amish faith. They have three children over the age of five whom they have refused to vaccinate based on their religious beliefs. Specifically, the Yoders believe that vaccinating their children would be equivalent to placing their faith in man over their faith in God, which would violate the First Commandment; “You shall have no other Gods before Me.”
The Yoders have sued Pennsylvania seeking to overturn the law as a violation of the Free Exercise of Religion contained in the First Amendment. Based on current judicial understanding of the Free Exercise Clause, explain whether the court should rule in the Yoders’ favor?
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