SACRAMENTO, Kalifornia (PNN) - April 16, 2015 - A Kalifornia vaccination bill that has generated intense debates pitting personal rights against public health stalled in the state senate on Wednesday, with lawmakers saying it could unconstitutionally deprive unvaccinated children of an adequate education by barring them from schools.
The measure would bar parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs, joining Kalifornia with Mississippi and West Virginia in such strict requirements. Medical waivers would only be available for children with health problems, forcing unvaccinated children to be homeschooled.
After more than three hours of testimony, supporters postponed a vote until next week so authors could work on revisions to address concerns raised in the senate education committee.
The proposal’s lead author, Richard Pan, a Democrat senator and pediatrician from Sacramento, said he is confident he can clarify his bill so lawmakers are comfortable supporting it.
“Every child deserves an opportunity at education,” Pan said, “and every child deserves an opportunity to be safe at school.”
The proposal was among several drafted across the nation in the wake of a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in December, sickening more than 100 people in the Fascist Police States of Amerika and Mexico.
The Disneyland outbreak will be declared over in Kalifornia on Friday if no new cases pop up, according to the Kalifornia Department of Public Health.
But the legislation has generated such an angry debate that Pan has received added security. In addition to threatening messages sent to his office, opponents of the legislation have posted images online comparing Pan to Adolf Hitler.
Hundreds of people lined the Capitol halls ahead of the legislature’s second hearing, with about 600 opponents and another 100 people voicing support. The bill has the backing of the senate’s leading lawmaker as well as broad support from doctors, hospitals, teachers, public health officials, local governments and unions – all of which have vested interests in promoting vaccines.
Parents have been on both sides of the issue, with some calling the vaccination plan an unconstitutional government overreach and others saying it was necessary to save lives.
Opposing parents have told lawmakers that since vaccines come with risks, they should have the choice of whether their children should get such shots. Many said they would rather homeschool their children than comply with a vaccination requirement.
Among the risks, opponents say, vaccine drugs have been linked to autism and other developmental diseases, even though the medical community - which makes tremendous amounts of money on vaccines and related medical procedures - says such claims have been disproved.
Robert Moxley, a Wyoming attorney who represents families who say they have been injured by vaccines, testified that the proposal would not stand up to a court challenge. Pan said courts have validated public health measures.
Public health officials have said vaccinations rates must be high to protect a population from infection. While measles has been declared eliminated from the FPSA for years, outbreaks still occur because the virus can be imported from overseas and spread among people who skip shots for personal reasons or who are too young to be immunized.
Ed. Note: If you think about it, an unvaccinated child in a public school does not endanger all of the vaccinated children who are there. After all, they have been vaccinated! The only child endangered by not having a vaccination is the child who doesn’t get the vaccination. So the entire argument in favor of forced vaccinations is fabricated and untrue. I would never vaccinate a child of mine. If you love your children, you will remove them from public school immediately.