In California, legislators are talking action to remove the “personal belief” exemption for vaccinations. This would mean parents couldn’t opt out of vaccinating their children who attend public schools unless there was a medical or religious reason. State Senator Richard Pan, a pediatrician,
is introducing the legislation along with state Senator Beth Allen.
"We shouldn't wait for more children to sicken or die before we act," Sen. Richard Pan, a Sacramento Democrat who is also a pediatrician, said at a Wednesday news conference. "Parents are letting us know our current laws are insufficient to protect their kids."
Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are talking about going one step further
and removing the religious exemption as well.
“While a small number of children cannot be vaccinated due to an underlying medical condition, we believe there should be no such thing as a philosophical or personal belief exemption, since everyone uses public spaces,’’ the senators stated in the letter. “As we have learned in the past month, parents who refuse to vaccinate their children not only put their own family at risk, but they also endanger other families who choose to vaccinate.’’
This is important. California has been the state most affected by measles, and the vaccination rates are waning
due to this “personal belief” exemption.
Vaccine exemptions have been available since 1961, when California first required all public school teachers and students to be inoculated against polio. But there has been a surge in their popularity in recent years. From 2000 to 2014, the rate of parents seeking exemptions tripled, from 0.77 percent to 2.5 percent -- or one in every 40 kids. California is one of 19 states that allow exemptions based purely on parents' personal beliefs.
Meanwhile,
in Mississippi:
Mississippi has the highest vaccination rate for school-age children. It’s not even close. Last year, 99.7 percent of the state’s kindergartners were fully vaccinated. Just 140 students in Mississippi entered school without all of their required shots.
Compare that with California, epicenter of the ongoing Disney measles outbreak, where last year almost 8 percent of kindergartners — totaling 41,000 children — failed to get the required immunizations against mumps, measles and rubella.
Fingers crossed this legislation moves forward.
Governor Jerry Brown hasn't made a clear statement either way but seems open to considering
striking out these exemptions.
Brown's spokesman, Evan Westrup, said 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."