California Governor signs bill that tightens vaccination rules

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a controversial vaccine bill into law that removes the personal belief exemption, requiring vaccinations for almost all public school children in California.

Today, California’s governor signed legislation that gives the state one of the toughest vaccination laws in the country. “While it’s true that no medical intervention is without risks, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community”.

Traditionally, California has allowed parents to refuse school vaccination requirements for their children.

A new bill was passed in California yesterday (June 30) making vaccinations almost mandatory for all children attending public schools and Jim Carrey is definitely not happy about it.

Several California parents avoided vaccines for their kids, believing that they caused medical conditions such as autism, according to The Daily Caller.

Public health officials say that if the percentage of immunized children falls below a certain threshhold, the “herd immunity” that protects those in the community who can not be immunized, is lost. More than 140 people, including 131 Californians, were infected during an outbreak that emanated from Disneyland.

After the signing of the new law, opponents promised several legal challenges, including a claim that the new law violates children’s right to a free education, which is enshrined in the state Constitution. Many said it infringes on parental rights and issues of informed consent.

The bill was one of the most contentious taken up by the Legislature this year, attracting large, vocal crowds of parents during a series of legislative hearings on the measure.

“You can certainly choose not to vaccinate your child and there’s nothing in this law now that will make you vaccinate your child, however there is a outcome to that and you cannot endanger other children and other people through your decisions”, he said.

The state Department of Health says that almost 83 percent of Washington kindergartners had all of the vaccines required for the 2014-2015 school year.

“She will go to school”, the Sacramento mother told NBC Bay Area, with eyes filled with tears.

While unvaccinated students now in school would be allowed to stay, they will be expected to present proof of vaccination before entering kindergarten and grade seven.