California, site of a widespread measles outbreak, is one step away from becoming the latest state to force vaccinations.
The state’s senate passed a bill that would eliminate the personal exemption to vaccines for religious or personal beliefs. The bill, which passed in a 24-14 vote, now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has not said whether he will sign it, according to the Associated Press.
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The bill’s passage comes in the wake of a devastating measles outbreak last year in Disneyland that experts blamed in part on parents failing to vaccinate their children. The outbreak shed light on a group of parents called the “anti-vaxxers” who do not vaccinate their children due to concerns about adverse effects, such as a widely debunked theory it will cause autism.
The bill would remove the personal exemption option so that only a medical exemption remains, according to a statement issued earlier this month from state Sen. Richard Pan, a physician who represents the Sacramento area.
If parents choose to not vaccinate, they would have to home-school their children, according to Pan.
