Letter Examples from Minnesotans
Subject: Minor Records Access Denial Dear Senator, I’m writing because I’ve run into unexpected barriers while trying to access my child’s medical records. Several clinics and hospital systems have told me that because my child is 12, I now need my child’s signed consent to view records or communicate fully with providers. As a parent, I should be able to see and understand my child’s healthcare information. Federal law (HIPAA) generally gives parents that right, and none of the limited exceptions apply in our situation. Still, many systems appear to be adopting internal policies that are not grounded in law or in what is safest for kids. When records are delayed or restricted, it becomes much harder to advocate for our children. Parents cannot provide informed consent, coordinate care, or make thoughtful decisions without complete information. Most 12-year-olds do not understand their full medical history, family health risks, legal rights, or how to research treatment options, yet parents are increasingly being cut out of the process. Open access and transparency build trust between families and healthcare providers. I’m asking you to support policies that ensure parents can maintain lawful access to their minor children’s medical records and remain appropriately involved in their care. Thank you for taking the time to consider the perspective of families who are simply trying to stay informed, responsible, and engaged in their children’s healthcare. Respectfully, A Minnesota Parent
Subject: Disability & Minor Records Access Denial Dear Representative, I’m writing as the parent of a profoundly autistic child who cannot communicate their own name, yet I’m being told that my child is expected to provide consent for me to access medical records or participate fully in healthcare decisions. This has created an impossible and frankly unsafe situation for our family. State and federal systems, including SSI and state medical review teams, have already determined that my child is developmentally disabled and requires ongoing support. Those same determinations recognize that my child cannot manage complex decisions independently. However, some medical providers and hospital systems are now telling us that, because of age-based policies, my child must be the one to consent to my involvement or to the release of information. In practice, this means the people legally and practically responsible for my child’s care are being cut out, even when the child cannot communicate basic personal information or understand what is being asked of them. When parents of children with significant disabilities cannot access records or coordinate with providers, care becomes fragmented and risky. We cannot ensure accurate histories, monitor medications, follow through on treatment plans, or provide informed consent without full information and involvement. These policies do not reflect the reality of children with profound disabilities and place them in a vulnerable position. Parents like us are not asking for anything beyond what the law already allows: the ability to access our minor child’s medical information and participate appropriately in their care. I urge you to support clear guidance and policies that protect the rights of parents and ensure that children with developmental disabilities are not left without effective advocates. Thank you for taking the time to hear from families navigating these barriers. We simply want to keep our children safe and properly cared for. Respectfully, MN Mama
Subject: Impact of Daycare Vaccine-Exemption Provision on Rural Families Dear Senator, We are writing as parents from a small town who recently lost access to childcare because of the omnibus provision allowing daycares to deny vaccine exemptions. In our community, the only remaining providers are center-based programs that have all adopted the same corporate policies refusing any exemptions. Our previous in-home daycare closed last year after increasing regulations made it financially impossible to stay open. There are no alternative options within a reasonable distance. This issue goes beyond a simple “small business choice.” For many families, decisions around vaccines are tied to sincerely held religious beliefs. When employers began mandating COVID vaccines as a condition of employment, courts recognized the need for religious accommodation. Employees were not simply told to “find another job.” Yet families are now being told to “find another daycare,” even in areas where no realistic alternative exists. Private childcare providers are not allowed to discriminate based on race or religion. However, under current policy, families can effectively be excluded from childcare because of faith-based medical decisions. In rural communities with limited providers, that exclusion can mean a parent leaving the workforce or children going without safe, licensed care. We are not asking to remove choice from providers. We are asking for balance and accommodation so that families with lawful exemptions are not shut out of essential childcare entirely. When policies eliminate access across an entire region, they function less like private choice and more like a barrier to participation in daily life. Please consider the impact this provision is having on rural and working families and support solutions that protect both public health and reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious beliefs. Thank you for your time and for considering the perspective of families navigating these realities. Respectfully, Parents from Greater Minnesota
Subject: MMR Mandate & Family Facing Impossible Choice Between Health and School Access Dear Representative, We are writing as parents of a child in public school who is currently undergoing extensive testing for a suspected autoimmune disorder that causes recurring fevers and inflammatory flares. Our medical team has advised against any immune-altering vaccinations for now while testing continues and his condition is being evaluated. At the same time, we’ve been told that without a specific qualifying diagnosis, they cannot formally authorize a medical exemption. This has placed our family in an impossible position. We have relied on the conscientious exemption because, in our convictions, it would be wrong to take actions that could worsen our child’s health while he is medically fragile and still being evaluated. However, if the MMR exemption is removed, we would be forced to choose between our child’s safety and his ability to attend school. Our child wants to be in the classroom. He has friends, routines, and thrives there. Pulling him out of school would be devastating for him academically, socially, and emotionally. Yet moving forward with a vaccine his doctors have advised against during active investigation of a serious medical condition also feels unsafe. Families like ours should not be forced into that kind of decision. We respect the importance of public health and community protection. At the same time, there must be room for reasonable accommodation for children in active medical evaluation who fall into gray areas where a formal diagnosis has not yet been reached but legitimate concerns exist. Policies that remove all flexibility do not account for the real complexity many families and physicians are navigating. If the exemption pathway is eliminated without a workable alternative for medically complex children, we will have to consider leaving the state in order to keep our child safe and in school. We do not want to make that choice. We want to remain in our community and continue partnering with our school and healthcare providers while our child receives appropriate care. We ask you to consider the impact on families in situations like ours and to support solutions that protect both public health and medically vulnerable students who need temporary or case-by-case accommodations. Thank you for taking the time to hear from families living this reality. Respectfully, A Public School Family
Subject: MMR Mandate & Religious Freedom Concerns for Homeschool Families Dear Senator, We are a Minnesota homeschool family writing with concern about the potential removal of the conscientious exemption for the MMR vaccine. Our family holds a sincere religious belief in the sanctity of human life. Because of that conviction, we cannot in good conscience use vaccines that were developed or tested using aborted fetal cell lines. While we do vaccinate in general and support many routine immunizations, we decline products of that nature. As homeschoolers, we still have to comply with state requirements to submit immunization records or lawful exemptions. We are not seeking to avoid oversight. We are simply trying to live in accordance with our faith while educating our children responsibly. At present, the MMR vaccine has no ethically acceptable alternative for families with our beliefs, which means we decline it entirely on religious grounds. If the MMR conscientious exemption is removed, our family would effectively have no education pathway in Minnesota that allows us to both follow the law and remain faithful to our religious convictions. That would force us to consider leaving the state, not because we want to, but because we would have no viable way to live and educate our children in alignment with our beliefs. We respect the importance of public health and understand that families make different decisions. We are asking for space for those differences to coexist. The conscientious exemption has long allowed families like ours to remain part of our communities while honoring deeply held religious convictions. Removing it would not change our beliefs; it would simply push families like ours out of the state. Please consider the impact on homeschool and faith-based families who are trying to comply with the law while living according to their conscience. We ask that you protect the ability of Minnesota families to make education and healthcare decisions consistent with their sincere religious beliefs. Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully, A Minnesota Homeschool Family
Subject: Impact of Removing Vaccine Exemptions on Faith-Based Private Schools Dear Representative, We are writing as a Minnesota family with children in a private school that shares our faith and values. Our school community includes families who make different medical decisions, yet we have long operated with mutual respect. Some families vaccinate fully, some selectively, and some decline certain vaccines based on sincerely held religious beliefs. Each family takes responsibility for its own decisions, and the community has functioned in thoughtful, respectful harmony. Many in our school believe that human life is created intentionally and that our bodies should be treated with great care. While we do not oppose all medicine or medical treatment, we do feel strongly about the idea of artificially altering the immune system preemptively rather than treating a known illness when it arises. These convictions are rooted in faith and conscience, and they guide how we make healthcare decisions for our children. Our school has never sought to impose one set of medical decisions on every family. Instead, it has allowed parents to follow their own convictions while still learning together in a shared environment. The removal of conscientious exemptions would force schools like ours to draw hard lines and adopt policies that do not reflect the beliefs of many families in the community. It would disrupt a long-standing balance built on trust and respect. Under Minnesota law, every child between the ages of 7 and 16 must be enrolled in an educational option. Every option—public, private, or homeschool—requires immunization records or a lawful exemption. If exemptions are removed, families with sincere religious objections would have nowhere to turn. Even during COVID, families could choose to stay home or learn remotely. In this case, there is no alternative pathway that allows families to remain compliant with the law while also living according to their faith. We are not asking others to change their choices. We are asking that families like ours retain the ability to make medical decisions for our children consistent with our beliefs and to educate them in communities that respect those convictions. Removing conscientious exemptions does not create unity; it forces division and leaves some families without a place in Minnesota’s educational landscape. Please consider the impact this would have on private school communities and the families who rely on them. We ask that you protect policies that allow for both public health considerations and the preservation of religious liberty and parental responsibility. Thank you for your time and for considering the perspective of families like ours. Respectfully, A Minnesota Private School Family
Subject: Support for Strengthening Parental Rights Dear Senator, I’m writing to express my growing concern about the steady erosion of parental rights in decisions affecting children’s health, education, and well-being. As more restrictions and requirements are placed on families under the banner of empowering children- it often shifts decision-making authority away from parents and toward institutions such as schools, healthcare systems, and government agencies. Parents have traditionally held the primary responsibility for raising their children and making decisions consistent with their family’s values, beliefs, and circumstances. When policies limit parental involvement or override parental judgment, that influence is instead placed in the hands of teachers, medical providers, or other authorities. While many professionals act with good intentions, they bring their own worldviews and institutional priorities. That can create a conflict when those perspectives do not align with the values or convictions of a child’s family. I am concerned about any expansion of mandated health procedures, government checks, or policies that reduce a parent’s ability to guide their children. Families should not have to navigate increasing layers of approval or oversight simply to make decisions they believe are in their child’s best interest. Parents are the ones who know their children best, live with the outcomes of these decisions, and carry the long-term responsibility for their care. I appreciate efforts to support and reestablish strong parental rights and clear boundaries that recognize parents as the primary decision-makers for their children. Protecting that role is essential not only for family autonomy, but for maintaining trust between families and the institutions that serve them. Thank you for taking the time to consider the perspective of parents who want to remain fully engaged in raising their children according to their values and responsibilities. Respectfully, Minnesota Family
Example Calls from Minnesotans
Medical records access parent Hello, my name is Jane Smith and I’m calling from Maple Grove as part of the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. Parental rights matters to me because I’m being told I need my 12-year-old’s consent to access their medical records, even though federal law generally allows parents access. This makes it hard to give informed consent and coordinate care. I’m asking you to support policies that protect parents’ lawful access to their minor children’s medical information and keep parents involved in healthcare decisions. Let me know if you'd like to chat further & thank you for your time!
Parent of profoundly autistic child Hello, this is Joe Smith from Blaine calling as part of the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. My current situation is that my profoundly autistic child cannot communicate basic information, yet I’m being told my child must consent to my involvement in their medical care. State and federal systems recognize my child’s disability, but providers are blocking parental access. This creates real safety concerns. Please support policies that ensure parents of disabled minors can access records and coordinate care. Thank you for your time!
Rural daycare access lost Hello, my name is Jaime Smith from Bakus and I’m calling for the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. Parental Rights matter to me because our family lost all daycare options after providers adopted policies denying vaccine exemptions. We live in a small town, and our in-home provider closed due to overregulation. There are no alternatives. This impacts religious liberty and families’ ability to work. Please support solutions that allow reasonable accommodation for families. Thank you so much for your time!
Child with suspected autoimmune disorder Hello, this is Jake Smith from Bloomington calling as part of the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. Preserving parental choice matters to me Because my child is undergoing testing for an autoimmune condition of unknown origin. Doctors advise against certain vaccines right now but cannot issue a formal exemption without a final diagnosis. If exemptions are removed, we must choose between our child’s safety and school attendance. Please support flexibility for medically complex students to continue to access conscientious exemptions. Thank you for all you do!
Homeschool religious exemption family Hello, my name is Jill Smith and I’m calling from Rogers for the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. Protecting parental rights matters to our family because we homeschool and vaccinate generally but decline products connected to aborted fetal cell lines due to our faith. If the MMR exemption is removed, we would have no legal education path consistent with our beliefs. Please protect conscientious and religious exemptions for Minnesota families. Thank you for your consideration!
Private school family Hello, this is John Smith from Stillwater calling as part of the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. My current concern is that our children attend a private faith-based school where families respect each other’s medical decisions. Removing exemptions would force policies that divide communities and leave some families with no education option at all. Please consider the impact on private school families and protect exemption pathways. Thank you.
General parental rights message Hello, my name is Jade Smith from Minneapolis and I’m calling for the Health & Parental Rights Day of Action. Welcome back to session! Thank you for serving our state. I’m concerned about policies, laws and current bills like HF3239/SF3439 that all shift decision-making away from parents and toward institutions. Parents should remain the primary decision-makers for their children’s health and education. Please support efforts to strengthen and protect parental rights in Minnesota. If you would like to chat further on my family/s specific experiences, please reach out. Thank you!