Massachusetts Proposes Laws to Remove Religious Exemptions, Parental Consent for Vaccines

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill to remove religious exemptions to school vaccine mandates and two bills that would allow minors to consent to “preventative care,” including vaccines, according to grassroots groups Health Rights MA and Health Action Massachusetts.

Versions of the bill seeking to remove religious exemptions were introduced in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate.

Beth Ingham, a leader of Children’s Health Defense’s New England Chapter since 2022, called the proposed legislation “horrendous.”

If passed, children whose families object to school-mandated vaccinations based on sincerely held religious beliefs would be barred from attending public and private K-12 schools, according to Health Action Massachusetts.

Massachusetts’ lawmakers are also considering An Act Promoting Community Immunity, a bill that would undermine religious exemptions for school-based vaccine mandates and remove parental consent for vaccines in some cases.

According to Health Rights MA, the community immunity bill would:

  • Allow minors to consent to preventative care, including vaccination, without parental consent or knowledge.
  • Allow private daycares, schools and colleges to refuse religious exemptions and impose additional vaccines like the COVID-19 shots, which are not required by the Department of Public Health (DPH).
  • Subject the religious and medical exemptions to state approval.
  • Grant DPH expansive authority to change immunization and exemption requirements.
  • Require doctors to sign religious exemptions.
  • Allow DPH to publicly label programs with immunization rates below a state-defined threshold as “Elevated Risk” and exclude healthy, unvaccinated children, even in the absence of an outbreak or emergency.

Candice Edwards, executive director of Health Action Massachusetts, told The Defender that the state’s Joint Committee on Public Health will soon announce a hearing date for the two bills.

“Once the hearing is scheduled, we’re asking people to show up in person” to testify about why they oppose the bills. “Given the climate specifically for the removal of the religious exemption, we need an army inside that State House testifying.”

Additionally, Massachusetts’ lawmakers are considering a third bill that ostensibly aims at “enhancing access” to abortion but would also allow minors to consent to “preventative care,” including vaccines, without parental knowledge or consent, the groups said on their websites. Versions of the bill have been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Keep reading

Chinese intel agency official helped raise over $300,000 for Dem Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s campaign: report

A man who helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Boston Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu has been revealed to be listed by a Chinese intelligence agency as an official.

The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that Boston International Media Consulting founder Gary Yu assisted in raising over $300,000 for Wu with the help of the New England Chinese American Alliance, a civic association of which Yu serves as co-chairman.

Yu, whose Chinese name is Yu Guoliang, is listed as an official with an agency of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), a Chinese Community Party influence and intelligence service, per the outlet.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Community Party described united front work as “a unique blend of engagement, influence activities, and intelligence operations that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses to shape its political environment, including to influence other countries’ policy toward the PRC and to gain access to advanced foreign technology.”

The central UFWD reports directly to the CCP’s Central Committee, is the “lead organization for coordinating and carrying out united front work both inside and outside of China,” and “oversees the united front work departments of provincial and local party committees as well as those subordinate to party committees in companies, research institutes, and other entities.”

Yu is listed as an “overseas committee member” of the Hangzhou municipal All-China Federation Of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC) and has met with their officials in China multiple times, and is the chairman of the North American Hangzhou Association (NAHAUS).

Per the Daily Caller, ACFROC is an agency of the UFWD that conducts overseas influence operations such as allegedly directing Chinese community leaders to create a Chinese police station in New York City.

Keep reading

Massachusetts Couple Accused of ‘Kidnapping’ Their Own Five Children from State Custody

A Massachusetts couple is facing serious charges after allegedly kidnapping their five children, who had been placed in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Isael Rivera, 31, and Ruth Encarnacion, 30, were located by Fitchburg Police in early March, after a multi-state manhunt.

The couple is accused of taking the children across state lines in an attempt to evade DCF intervention.

Authorities believe the family fled Massachusetts shortly before the state attempted to enforce child protective measures, according to WCVB 5.
Rivera, the biological father of four of the five children, was arraigned last week in Fitchburg District Court. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and he is currently being held without bail, WHDH reported.

Encarnacion, the mother of all five children, is scheduled to be arraigned this week and faces five counts of kidnapping a minor by a relative. A not-guilty plea has also been entered on her behalf.

According to law enforcement, the family went missing just as DCF prepared to remove the children from Encarnacion’s care on February 27.

Encarnacion’s sister reported her missing days later on March 3, citing a lack of contact since February 26. DCF officially reported the five children missing on March 5, triggering a state and federal search.

Court documents indicate that DCF had opened a case against the couple in February after a pediatrician flagged signs of neglect involving the youngest child, a 9-month-old.

DCF intervened shortly thereafter, but by then, the family had reportedly left Massachusetts.

According to unconfirmed reports, they told their pediatrician they were skipping vaccines for their baby.

Keep reading

Anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ Leader’s Campaign Bankrolled By Dem Power Broker Tied To Chinese Intel Agency

Boston Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu’s 2021 campaign received hundreds of thousands of dollars from a fundraiser who is listed by a Chinese intelligence agency as an official, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation discovered.

Gary Yu, the founder of Boston International Media Consulting, helped raise over $300,000 for Wu with the help of a Chinese civic association he leads. However, Yu — whose Chinese name is Yu Guoliang — is listed as an official by an agency of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence and intelligence service called the United Front Work Department (UFWD), and also operates as a recruiter for the Chinese government, according to reports from the CCP, Chinese state media and civic associations led by Yu.

“The Communist Party’s UFWD never rests,” author and China expert Gordon Chang told the DCNF. “There is no ethnic Chinese official in America who is not targeted. It’s time for law enforcement to investigate the CCP’s ties to Gary Yu and Yu’s ties to Mayor Michelle Wu.”

Wu has risen to national prominence as a central figure in the Democratic resistance to Trump’s border and deportation policies. Wu recently defended her city’s refusal to cooperate with immigration officials during her March 19, 2025 “State of the City” address, during which she criticized “presidents who think they are kings,” prompting the White House to fire back the next day with a press release labeling Wu a “radical mayor” who “puts violent criminal illegal aliens first.”

“Wu’s ultra-leftism makes her the perfect candidate for CCP recruitment and capture,” Chang said. “Or do we have it backward? Is her ultra-leftism the result of CCP recruitment and capture? More than just the people of Boston would like to know.”

Wu’s office, Yu, and Boston International Media Consulting did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Keep reading

DOGE Finds 3 States Are Responsible For Over Half Of All Unemployment Fraud

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has identified California, New York, and Massachusetts as the primary states responsible for over half of the fraudulent unemployment claims in the United States since 2020. According to DOGE’s findings, these three Democrat-led states accounted for $305 million out of the $382 million in improper claim payments.

DOGE’s survey revealed numerous fraudulent claims made by individuals with improbable ages , including those listed as over 115 years old, between one and five years old, and even with birthdates that have not yet occurred. These fraudulent claims amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars, with $254 million claimed by children aged one to five and $69 million by individuals with future birthdates.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer emphasized the department’s commitment to recovering these funds, stating, “We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk , who is spearheading the DOGE effort, highlighted the absurdity of the situation, noting that tax dollars were being used to pay fraudulent claims for “fake people born in the future.”

Keep reading

Democrat Massachusetts Lawmaker Arrested on Federal Fraud Charges in Stunning Corruption Scandal

In yet another stunning chapter of Democrat corruption, Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan (D-First Barnstable) was arrested Thursday after being indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records in connection to a brazen scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars from a local trade association.

The embattled Cape Cod legislator allegedly used the stolen cash to fund everything from mortgage payments and Macy’s menswear to psychic services, children’s toys, and even his 2022 political campaign.

Flanagan, 37, who represents the Cape towns of Dennis, Yarmouth, and Brewster, is now facing up to 120 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested Thursday morning and is scheduled to appear in federal court at 2:30 p.m.

According to the bombshell federal indictment, Flanagan’s theft began in 2021 while he was serving as Executive Officer of the Home Builders Association of Cape Cod (HBA).

With personal debt mounting and his bank accounts hemorrhaging from overdraft fees and missed mortgage payments, Flanagan allegedly began siphoning money from the nonprofit — ultimately embezzling at least $36,000 through wire transfers, PayPal, and official checks.

Keep reading

ICE Arrests Illegal Alien Outside Boston Courtroom as City Defies Feds – Now Judge Slaps Agent with Contempt

A Boston judge has held a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in contempt for executing his duty to detain an illegal immigrant during an ongoing trial.

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, ICE agents, ICE agent Brian Sullivan apprehended Wilson Martell-Lebron, a Dominican national illegally residing in the United States, as he exited the Boston Municipal Court.

Martell-Lebron, a Dominican national residing illegally in the country using fake identity, was on his second trial for charges related to falsifying information on a driver’s license application.

Despite the gravity of his alleged offenses, Boston’s lenient policies had allowed him to remain free until ICE agents, led by Agent Brian Sullivan, apprehended him outside the courthouse.

But instead of applause for upholding our borders, a Massachusetts state court judge—yet another cog in the radical left’s sanctuary machine—had the gall to hold an ICE agent in contempt.

Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville held Agent Sullivan in contempt, accusing him of violating Martell-Lebron’s so-called rights to due process and a fair trial.

Keep reading

Nurses at Massachusetts hospital concerned about growing number of cancer cases among staff

Nurses at Newton-Wellesley Hospital say they’re concerned about growing numbers of cancer cases among longtime nurses who have been working on a fifth-floor maternal care ward. “You’re going into work every day with that feeling in your gut, and it’s a lousy feeling,” a nurse who doesn’t want to be identified tells WBZ-TV. 

She’s speaking out after being diagnosed with a brain tumor and says she’s not alone among her nursing colleagues. “It’s getting to the point where the number just increases, and you start saying am I crazy thinking this,” she said. “This can’t just be a coincidence.” 

Nurses diagnosed with brain tumors

She claims as many as ten nurses who work on the floor have been diagnosed with different brain tumors over the last few years, some cancerous and some not. She says three have had surgery and believes the hospital has not been supportive enough. 

“We want reassurance because this has not been a reassuring past few months for a lot of the staff members,” she said. “We want to feel safe, the same way we want to make our patients feel safe.” 

The hospital confirms it has been investigating since December and has interviewed ten nurses, six of whom it says have differing brain tumors. 

Keep reading

O’Keefe Media Group: MGM Casino Marketing Director Says He’s “Not Going to Hire Whites”

A casino marketing director for the MGM Resorts in Springfield, Massachusetts, said he openly discriminates against whites during the hiring process.

“No matter how great they [Whites] look on paper, they don’t fit well with my team,” Albie Velarde, the Director of Casino Marketing at MGM Springfield told an undercover OMG journalist.

“I will purposefully look for those diverse-based hires,” he admitted.

Albie Velarde also revealed that MGM closely tracks the racial makeup of its workforce with HR providing monthly reports.

Velarde said, “At a [MGM] property level, HR sends us, every month when they send us our turnover summary of the month, they’ll point out this month we lost this amount of females versus males.”

These turnover summary reports influence hiring decisions, according to Velarde: “Hey guys, we’re losing all of our female workforce. Let’s try, you know, let’s put more females through the pipeline.”

Velarde also told the undercover journalist that they take race and gender into account when hiring employees to replace others who have left the company.

“So like if I lose one of my female hosts, I would try to replace her with a female,” Velarde said. “Selena, she’s my Vietnamese host, she’s very reserved, she’s very quiet. But that’s her culture. I would replace her with somebody who is, in some capacity, that culture.”

Keep reading

Did a Senate Democrat Just Call for an Insurrection?

Do you remember when Democrats accused former President Trump of incitement for telling his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” march to the Capitol to make their voices heard? Well, fast forward to today, and we have a sitting senator engaging in rhetoric that does far more than make a call for peaceful assembly. Earlier this week, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) advocated for “revolution” while standing outside in snow-covered Boston, a site steeped in revolutionary history.

“Massachusetts is where revolutions are born,” Markey began. “And the revolution against Donald Trump and Elon Musk starts here.”

“This is the city of revolutionaries from the American Revolution to create checks and balances in the United States Constitution so that we did not have a dictator — a king — the way those colonists were living under it. And they fought all along Massachusetts Avenue. All coming out, the men and women to say, ‘no taxation without representation.’ We want to have a balance, we cannot have a king.”

Markey’s choice of words raises an important question: is “revolution” just a dog whistle for “insurrection”? His post on X proudly calls for this upheaval, and he pinned it to his account to make sure people see it. Perhaps he believes this kind of incendiary language is acceptable when those on the left wield it.

Keep reading