CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — It's been an ongoing debate since Gov. Patrick Morrisey took office and signed an executive order to grant religious exemptions for school vaccine requirements. During the legislative session, a law that would allow this to happen was shot down by the house of delegates, but Morrisey is still passionately fighting for the right to religious liberties.

"No government entity, whether state or local, may burden an individual's religious liberty,” he said during a press conference Tuesday morning. “We have to make sure though that we always stand strong for your religious freedom and that's what we will do."

At the press conference, He announced a lawsuit being filed by mother Miranda Guzman against the state board of education and the Raleigh County Board of Education. Guzman is trying to receive a religious vaccine exemption for her young daughter

"We're very grateful for this brave woman to step forward today to file this suit,” Morrisey said. “I think this is gonna be a really important battle going forward."

Guzman states in the civil suit the school district refused to honor a religious vaccine exemption awarded to her daughter, citing state board education policy. She said this violates her rights under West Virginia's Equal Protection for Religion Act, prohibiting the state from making it more difficult to practice their religion. Guzman's attorney Aaron Siri said this exemption could make her life much easier.

“She's got a four-year-old child, she's a nurse and she's a single mother,” Siri said. “And in order to be able to hold down her job, she needs to send her child to school, but she's now has been put in the impossible situation where she has to sacrifice her sincerely held religious convictions in order to send her child to school."

Siri specializes in vaccine lawsuits and said those who choose not to vaccinate for religious reasons are treated unfairly.

"You'd be horrified, but for some reason this tiny minority of people who have made this choice, who want to adhere to their religious convictions because they oppose the use of a board of fetal cell material in vaccines because they have one or other objections, they are treated in frankly as close to persecution, modern day persecution,” he said.

Several lawmakers also spoke, including Sen. Brian Helton, R-Fayette who believes the board of education should be worrying about other issues.

"I don't know how you guys feel about this, but I think it'd be great if the State Board of Education focused this offseason on getting us out of 50th place,” Helton said.

The state board of education released a statement saying:

“The intent of the State Board is to do what is best for the 241,000 children, 23,000 educators, and 15,000 service personnel in our 629 public schools. This includes taking the important steps of protecting the school community from the real risk of exposure to litigation that could result from not following vaccination laws.”