California Law Forces Parents To Vaccinate Their Children
It’s official: No more personal exemptions for child vaccinations.
Governor Jerry Brown signed the controversial SB 277 vaccine bill into law Tuesday, forcing children enrolled at public and private schools to be vaccinated.
The death of a newborn baby in Santa Barbara County back in January jarred the public and helped launch a major state debate over immunizations. The child died of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, a vaccine preventable illness.
The month before, in December of 2014, a measles outbreak at Disneyland left more than one hundred people sick in the United States and Mexico.
Dr. Dan Brennan, a pediatrician at Sansum Medical Clinic and a main organizer of the Strive for 95 grassroots coalition, calls the legislation a major first step.
“At about half of our schools, there was the risk of having some of these vaccine preventable diseases get into the school and spread,” Brennan said. “Ninety-five is the magic number when it comes to public safety. Ninety-five percent of people vaccinated creates a herd immunity.”
With the stroke of a pen, Governor Brown put California in the ranks of Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with such strict requirements.
A small percentage of children would be exempt because of serious health issues. Other unvaccinated children would have to be home-schooled.
One local mother calls the government mandate “scary.”
“It boils down to that every parent has the right to decide what is put into their child’s body,” said Ananda Rabor, a Goleta resident. “We’re talking about a lot of stuff … chemicals … all this stuff.”
Others said debunking the autism link and other science makes this new law a good one.
“I don’t like it when the government tells me what I have to do but I think in this case, I think it just makes sense,” said Josh Ellinwood of Santa Barbara. “The science is all there. There’s really nothing bad about it and it protects everyone.”
The law goes into effect next year, but Brennan didn’t have an exact date. He also stressed the need in the future to ensure all adults are up to date on vaccinations.
You’ll find more information about vaccines at strivefor95.org.
