Doherty: Murphy’s Mask Mandate for 2-Year-Olds Is Child Abuse

Senator Michael Doherty said Governor Phil Murphy’s new executive order forcing two-year-olds to wear masks at day care is nothing less than child abuse.

“We held a hearing this summer where medical researchers and health care professionals told us of the emotional and physical harm that comes from masking school-age children,” said Doherty (R-23). “That level of harm that we heard in graphic detail would only be multiplied for toddlers that have even less ability to understand why they’re being forced to wear masks they won’t want to wear.”

According to guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), children aged 5 years and younger should not be required to wear masks “based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.”

Dori Howell, a director at a Warren County nonprofit that provides social services, echoed Doherty’s concerns.

“It is my personal opinion that Governor Murphy’s recent executive order to mask preschool children is a heinous act,” Howell said. “By the definitions used by the CDC and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, this most certainly is child abuse. I am absolutely outraged by this blatant disregard for the emotional health and well-being of innocent children.”

“I don’t see Governor Murphy’s dangerous mask order as anything less than child abuse,” Doherty concluded.