California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a sweeping vaccination law Tuesday eliminating all but the medical exemption for schoolchildren over the objections of the state’s vocal parental-choice advocates.
The law, prompted by January’s measles outbreak at Disneyland, prevents parents from opting their children out of vaccines for religious and personal-belief reasons, thus giving California some of the toughest vaccination requirements in the nation.
“The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases,” Mr. Brown said in his signing statement. “While it’s true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community.”
He pointed out that the state legislature had amended Senate Bill 277, sponsored by Democratic state Sens. Richard Pan and Ben Allen, to give additional latitude to doctors to recommend against immunizations, including family history.
This year’s vaccine debate brought thousands of parents to the state legislature in Sacramento for rallies decrying the bill, arguing that it forces families to act against their consciences by compelling them to vaccinate their children as a prerequisite for entering kindergarten.
Supporters of the bill argued that parents always have the option to avoid the vaccination requirement by home-schooling their children.
Only two other states, Mississippi and West Virginia, require vaccines for entering kindergarten students for all but medical reasons.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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