Calif. lawmakers aim to limit vaccine exemptions
By Fenit Nirappil, AP
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers proposed legislation Wednesday that would require parents to vaccinate all schoolchildren unless a child’s health is in danger, joining only two other states with such stringent restrictions.
Parents could no longer cite personal beliefs or religious reasons to send unvaccinated children to private and public schools under a proposal introduced after dozens of people have fallen ill from a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland. Mississippi and West Virginia are the only other states with such strict vaccine rules, though the California bill’s chief author said he would consider including a religious exemption.
“People are starting to realize, ‘I’m vulnerable, my children are vulnerable,'” said Sen. Richard Pan, a Democratic pediatrician from Sacramento. “We should not wait for more children to sicken or die before we act.”
Childhood vaccine has become an emotionally charged topic amid a measles outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people across the U.S. and in Mexico. No deaths have been reported.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, California is among 20 states that allow for personal belief exemptions and 48 that allow for religious exemptions.
A Washington state lawmaker introduced a bill Wednesday that would remove the personal belief allowance for an exemption in that state.
Public health officials believe an immunization rate of at least 90 percent is critical to minimizing the potential for a disease outbreak. California’s kindergarteners met that threshold at the start of this school year, according to state statistics: 2 percent were exempted because of their parents’ personal beliefs and another half a percent were exempted because of their parent’s religion.
Less than one-fifth of a percent of all students – about 1,000 – had a medical vaccine exemption that would be preserved under the bill.
Pan, who previously served in the Assembly, was the author of another vaccination bill that took effect last year. It requires parents who don’t have their children vaccinated for non-religious reasons to get a note from the doctor’s office before enrolling their children in school.
A spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed that bill, did not say if the governor would oppose efforts to end exemptions.
“The governor believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit and any bill that reaches his desk will be closely considered,” spokesman Evan Westrup wrote in an email.
Parents cite a variety of reasons for not immunizing their children: religious values, concerns the shots could cause illness and a belief that allowing children to get sick helps them to build a stronger immune system.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says doctors should bring up the importance of vaccinations during visits but should respect a parent’s wishes unless there’s a significant risk to the child.
The California bill is also backed by Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and Democratic Sen. Ben Allen, a former Santa Monica school board member.
Separately on Wednesday, Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein called on California’s top health official to reconsider the state’s policy on vaccine exemptions in light of the measles outbreak.
“We believe there should be no such thing as a philosophical or personal belief exemption, since everyone uses public spaces,” the Democratic senators wrote in an open letter.
Why are epidemic diseases suddenly appearing? Simply because of the failures in leadership in DC to have any idea how to protect the country from people trying to enter this country without vaccinations and those already carrying active diseases and allowing them to attend public schools which is a threat to all. This measles epidemic is only a sample of what could walk or fly into this country. It is time to start electing people who care about the security of our citizens and throw out all of the blatant lawless open borders enablers.
Justice, here is a little insight into measles vaccination rates for children in not only the US, but Central American nations as well. Read ’em and weep!:
US (92%)
Mexico (99%)
Nicaragua (99%)
Panama (98%)
Belize (96%)
Guatemala (93%)
Honduras (93%)
El Salvador (93%)
More latent xenophobia from justass.
These walk in/fly in epidemics come from all corners of the world, this is the key point, as do the people walking in through the open borders, visa over-stays and “refugees” brought in by hundreds of thousands by misguided people. South America has a “reported” high vaccination rate which should be suspect as the people have to pay for medical care and schooling and many don’t and can’t afford to. Numbers from corrupt countries don’t pass the smell test.
So Justice are you saying that these folks crashing through our borders from all the corners of the globe who have the measles made it a priority to stop at Disneyland first?
Sheesh, Bigs, maybe some unvaccinated kid who came into contact with an infected kid went to Disneyland and from there it went massive.
Seriously. . .
I remember when justanass was trying to spread mass hysteria in regards to Ebola. Its his mo, panic and pointing fingers, then blame it on obama….
“…a measles outbreak that has sickened more than 100 people across the U.S. and in Mexico. No deaths have been reported.”
I’m 66-years old and had the measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc. as a kid (there were no vaccines then)and I don’t recall those childhood diseases being considered particularly dangerous. They were just part of what kids got and in my family of 7-kids as soon as the oldest or second oldest brought home a childhood disease the other six got it shortly thereafter (poor Mom!!). All of us had all the childhood diseases in grammar school or prior to even starting school and I’m glad I got all that stuff when I was really young and not later in life.
Polio was dangerous though and when that vaccine was released the folks got us vaccinated asap.
Spouse – 4-mer-usmc
Wrong again, I said to put in an immediate travel ban from the affected countries to at least have a chance at slowing the spread here of Obola. The other fifty countries that did were far ahead of this dangerous outbreak that will keep going. Common sense which is lacking on the left, is to control the people coming into a country through laws, borders, and a tracking visa system as most countries do and make sure they can do no harm to citizens from epidemics and violence as much as possible. This kind of common sense protects people.
Prior to the measles vaccine about 48000 were hospitalized per year and about 500 died.
I too did not appreciate the danger while growing up in the 50’s. I remember mothers having measles parties in infect their daughters because the dangers of measles infections in pregnancy were well known.
We are much better now with vaccines.
No one followed justasses strategy and everything is OK. There is a fear of outsiders that underlies your ideas. Combine that with ignorance and you have a base recipe for dangerous intolerance.
Do people who write ‘Obola’ really expect to be taken seriously?
Justice says, “I said to put in an immediate travel ban from the affected countries”.
Not one of those countries had direct flights to the US.
Wrong again Justice!
Justice does speak the truth about people entering this country. If you can get on a plane- anywhere on the planet, you can be a welcomed member of our society. This is a fact, not an opinion.
Only Just@ss can take a Vaccination for Measles article and try to make it about “open borders”… like they have ever been closed… at Disneyland. LOL! What an ignorant bigot.