• A California bill that would take away a parent’s ability to opt out of vaccinating their children due to personal beliefs passed out of the Senate Health Committee, 6-2, on April 8. While medical expemtions would still remeain, if a parent chooses to not vaccinate their child because of personal beliefs, that child would have to be homeschooled. The controversial bill was introduced in the wake of a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland at the beginning of the year. Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician who authored the bill, said he’s personally witnessed the suffering caused by vaccine-preventable diseases. “The personal belief exemption is now putting other school children and people in our community in danger,” he said in a press release. According to the Huffington Post, legislators in Oregon and Washington attempted to pass similar bills earlier this year, but failed. Pan’s press release said if SB 277 becomes law, California would join 32 other states that don’t allow parents to opt out of vaccination requirements using a personal belief exemption. According the the LA Times, Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) voted against the bill saying it would interfere with parental rights. The Times also reported that Robert F. Kennedy denounced the bill, saying the legislation is premature. “They are telling people they can’t opt out before we have a system that can protect them,” he told the Times. “The way to solve the problem is to restore faith in the regulatory system and faith in the safety of vaccines.”
• Legislation to expand the end of life options available to California residents passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 5-2, on April 7. SB 128, the End of Life Option Act, would allow a mentally competent adult in the final stages of life due to a terminal illness to request aid-in-dying medication from a physician. “It should be a fundamental human right for people with terminal diseases to determine the quality of their final days based on their own personal beliefs,” said bill sponsor Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) in a press release. “SB 128 continues to gain support, which illustrates that public sentiment is in favor of expanding access to end of life options.”
• Members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids—a national organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, and victim advocates—visited Sacramento on April 8 to ask for support and adequate funding for programs designed to steer kids away from crime, such as early education and after school programs. Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley and other members participated in individual meetings with more than 20 policymakers and adminstrative officials. A press release from the organization said its members encouraged lawmakers to follow through on a promise made to provide early education to all low-income 4-year-olds. More than 30,000 spots are still needed in the state.
This article appears in Apr 16-23, 2015.
