California families no longer can opt out of getting vaccinations for their children due to personal beliefs.
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown official signed into law on Tuesday a bill that eliminates personal exemptions to vaccinations for schoolchildren. The decision comes in the wake of an outbreak of measles last year at Disneyland due partly to poor vaccination rates.
Some parents do not vaccinate their children because of concerns about adverse health effects. One popular, but widely debunked, theory is the measles vaccine will cause autism.
Brown said that the “science is clear” that vaccines protect children against diseases.
The law does allow for a medical exemption to immunization. It explicitly provides an exception when a physician believes that the circumstances warrant one, Brown said.
