Three cheers for common sense! Today the California Senate passed Bill SB277, meaning parents can no longer opt out of
vaccinations for their publicly schooled children due to "personal beliefs."
Following a lengthy and contentious debate, the California Senate approved on Thursday a controversial proposal to eliminate the state’s religious and personal belief exemptions for vaccines.
Senate Bill 277, which would make California only the third state in the country without either exemption, passed 25-10. The vote followed mostly partisan lines, with the majority of support coming from Democrats.
This is a big step toward victory; however, the bill now needs to move through the California Assembly and get the governor's approval before it becomes law.
The bill faced disturbing contention from anti-vaxxers this year after being introduced in the state Senate:
Sen. Richard Pan, a Sacramento Democrat who introduced SB 277, said the in-house law enforcement unit has provided him with extra security in recent weeks, after his office began receiving alarming phone calls, e-mails and Facebook comments from opponents of the bill.
“They’re basically trying to silence us,” Pan said. “It’s disturbing.”
The messages range from images depicting Pan as a Nazi to posts on his Facebook page calling for him to be “eradicated” or hung by a noose. Pan said his staff has forwarded all of the threats to the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms office, as is procedure, which has assessed them and responded as needed. Additional guards attended a community forum last month, for example, after bill opponents discussed throwing things at Pan.
The anti-vaxxers opposed to the bill were also joined by quack Dr. Sears and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—who co-authored a book that questioned the safety vaccine ingredients and also
called people who use the term "anti-vaxxers" misogynists. (Um, what?)
There was opposition in the state Senate as well:
Several Republican senators made last-minute efforts to stall the bill, introducing amendments that would reinsert the religious exemption and require labeling of vaccine ingredients, all of which were quickly tabled by Democrats.
Arguing that SB 277 violates religious freedoms, Sen. Joel Anderson, R-Alpine, asked, “Do you have a right to steal my soul without my knowledge?”
Not even sure what to say about that.
Here's hoping this bill gets through the state Assembly and is approved by Gov. Jerry Brown soon.