Kentucky Teen That Sued School For Mandating Chickenpox Vaccinations, Gets Chickenpox

Jerome Kunkel had been banned from attending Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Assumption Academy in Walton, Kentucky, when he refused to receive proper vaccination for chickenpox. In response, Kunkel hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit against the school, arguing he didn’t receive the vaccination due to religious beliefs.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Assumption Academy had suffered a chickenpox outbreak in March, prompting an order from state officials that unvaccinated students be vaccinated. While Kunkel challenged the order, his lawsuit was unsuccessful.

However, it seems nature has come back to bite Kunkel as he has come down with a case of chickenpox.

Symptoms first started to appear last week before coming down with the childhood virus. Despite coming down with a case of chickenpox, Kunkel and his family still stand by their decision.

Christopher Wiest, the family’s attorney, said that the family deeply holds its religious beliefs.

"From their perspective, they always recognized they were running the risk of getting it, and they were OK with it," Wiest said.

The views of Kunkel and his family are shared with other ultraconservative Catholics who refused to get vaccinated for chickenpox. Their reason is that the vaccine was developed back in the 60s using the cell lines from two aborted fetuses.

Kunkel is hoping to be back in school once the chickenpox has run its course. It will be the first time Kunkel has been in class since March.