Controversial vaccine bill passes in State Senate

Opponents of the controversial vaccination bill filled the Senate public gallery to watch the discussion on Thursday. The highly disputed bill aims at increasing California’s school immunization rates.

Republican Senator Joel Anderson from San Diego county argued that the measure should include a religious exemption for parents who would like to opt-out of vaccinations. The bill removes the personal belief exemption from school immunization requirements, but it allows exemptions for medical reasons. The bill’s supporters say the goal is to raise vaccination rates and protect public health.

“We are incredibly respectful of religion, we are incredibly respectful of faith. And in many ways, I see this as an affirmation for love for human life and human dignity, says Democratic Senator Ben Allen from Los Angeles. “This is about protecting people and protecting their lives to make sure they don’t have to suffer and die from communicable diseases that we have the tools to prevent.”

The bill would make medical waivers available only for children who have health problems. And it calls for unvaccinated children to be home-schooled. State Senators approved the vaccine bill with a 25 to 10 vote. It now goes to the Assembly. If the bill becomes law, California would join Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states with strict vaccination requirements.

The bills author Senator Richard Pan of Sacramento, who’s also a medical doctor, wants Californians to know that schools will not be asked to check vaccinations any more frequently. “Some people have implied that this bill would require schools to do something different in terms of checking the vaccinations than they are currently doing. So we want to clarify that this bill does not require schools to check vaccines any more frequently and the vaccination stats, any more frequently than they currently do. So there is not an imposition of additional work on the school districts part,” says Pan.

Pan continues, “What this bill will do though, is that it will halt the continuing spread and rise or actually growth in numbers, of unvaccinated children in their communities and that’s going to make us safer and over time. of course, that will decrease , and that will make our communities less vulnerable to outbreaks.”