California Legislature Debates Vaccination Bill

The California legislature is considering a bill that would prevent parents from seeking exemptions from vaccinations for their children on the basis of personal beliefs. SB 277 would also require school boards to provide notifications to parents each year of the vaccination rates at their child's school, presumably so that parents could make informed choices about keeping their child out of school during a disease outbreak.



Public hearings on SB 277 were held this week in the Senate Education Committee. Supporters of the bill raised concerns for their children's health in the wake of the recent outbreak of measles in California. They want all children to either be vaccinated or kept out of school during disease outbreaks. Opponents of the bill say it infringes on their personal rights not to vaccinate their children, and that there was no significant public health crisis posed by the few cases of measles which occurred during the most recent outbreak.

Let's hope this bill passes.