CA Gov signs the vaccination bill in to law

[sukhakuli]

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/california-governor-signs-tough-new-vaccine-law-n384556

And some food for thought:
http://jezebel.com/meet-the-new-dangerous-fringe-of-the-anti-vaccination-1713438567

 

[Dawnlight]

I vaccinate my children, but I oppose vaccinations being forced on those who don't believe in them. Just as women have the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy or not, a parent should have the authority to make health decisions such as vaccinating their children or not.

 

[Dawnlight]

Also, this- from the article- really bothers me. We're essentially restricting rights of US citizens because non-citizens are importing diseases. We need to be stricter with border control.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California state health officials said pockets of people philosophically opposed to vaccines were helping measles cases imported from other countries take hold and spread."

 

[gemini2727]

I vaccinate my children, but I oppose vaccinations being forced on those who don't believe in them. Just as women have the right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy or not, a parent should have the authority to make health decisions such as vaccinating their children or not.

If a parent's refusal to vaccinate their child only impacted the health of that child, I would have no problem with their decision. Unfortunately, that unvaccinated child then becomes a danger to others - those who CANNOT get vaccinated for health reasons, the very young child who CANNOT yet be vaccinated, and the vulnerable, immunocompromised population of our society, all of whom will suffer the consequences of the parent who refuses to vaccinate a child who CAN be vaccinated. The decision, IMO, is ignorant at best, (vaccinations are overwhelmingly safe and effective; the diseases they prevent are much more dangerous) and selfish at worst.

Also, no one is forcing vaccinations, just protecting society from those who choose not to vaccinate. Anti-vaxxers can home-school if it is that important to them. It won't solve the problem of unvaccinated kids passing disease around, but at least they won't be allowed in the public school setting.

California is on the right track. I hope other states follow suit.

 

[Dawnlight]

If a parent's refusal to vaccinate their child only impacted the health of that child, I would have no problem with their decision. Unfortunately, that unvaccinated child then becomes a danger to others - those who CANNOT get vaccinated for health reasons, the very young child who CANNOT yet be vaccinated, and the vulnerable, immunocompromised population of our society, all of whom will suffer the consequences of the parent who refuses to vaccinate a child who CAN be vaccinated. The decision, IMO, is ignorant at best, (vaccinations are overwhelmingly safe and effective; the diseases they prevent are much more dangerous) and selfish at worst.

Also, no one is forcing vaccinations, just protecting society from those who choose not to vaccinate. Anti-vaxxers can home-school if it is that important to them. It won't solve the problem of unvaccinated kids passing disease around, but at least they won't be allowed in the public school setting.

California is on the right track. I hope other states follow suit.

I understand this also, as one of my children had to stop their vaccine schedule when we were undergoing testing for mitochondrial issues. Thankfully, she is fine and was able to receive the full schedule once tests came back clear, but I still think parents should have the right to refuse vaccines for their children.

 

[gemini2727]

I understand this also, as one of my children had to stop their vaccine schedule when we were undergoing testing for mitochondrial issues. Thankfully, she is fine and was able to receive the full schedule once tests came back clear, but I still think parents should have the right to refuse vaccines for their children.

Parents still do retain the right to refuse.

From the article above:
"There is no legal requirement to vaccinate children. Parents can home-school unvaccinated children."

But now those parents will be inconvenienced by having to home school their kids due to their decision. That seems fair to me since now, by their own choice, their children are potentially a danger to society.

 

[pat fan]

I am not in favor of the gvt telling you that you HAVE to do something. That is not their job. Their job, one of them, is to secure the borders which is a huge issue. The diseases brought in are no joke, as we are seeing.

 

[cjbcam]

I understand this also, as one of my children had to stop their vaccine schedule when we were undergoing testing for mitochondrial issues. Thankfully, she is fine and was able to receive the full schedule once tests came back clear, but I still think parents should have the right to refuse vaccines for their children.

They have a right they just can't go to school.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Parents still do retain the right to refuse.

From the article above:
"There is no legal requirement to vaccinate children. Parents can home-school unvaccinated children."

But now those parents will be inconvenienced by having to home school their kids due to their decision. That seems fair to me since now, by their own choice, their children are potentially a danger to society.

I wish this would become law in all 50 states. There's a reason we have vaccines and a reason those diseases are all but gone. You stop vaccinating, they will come back. The measles outbreak last year is a perfect example of what happens when you don't vaccinate

 

[sukhakuli]

Did anyone read the second article? It's quite interesting.

Also, this- from the article- really bothers me. We're essentially restricting rights of US citizens because non-citizens are importing diseases. We need to be stricter with border control.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California state health officials said pockets of people philosophically opposed to vaccines were helping measles cases imported from other countries take hold and spread."

It's not border control. The person who started the Disneyland measles outbreak was here legally as a tourist from another country. Are we going to keep all people, even tourists, out of the country because some people don't want to vaccinate?

 

[mnrose]

Parents still do retain the right to refuse.

From the article above:
"There is no legal requirement to vaccinate children. Parents can home-school unvaccinated children."

But now those parents will be inconvenienced by having to home school their kids due to their decision. That seems fair to me since now, by their own choice, their children are potentially a danger to society.

I was hoping someone was going to point that out. You can refuse all you want, but LIVE with the consequences of that decision. You will need to homeschool or find a sympathetic private school. Decisions have consequences. That's all that has happened with this legislation.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I am not in favor of the gvt telling you that you HAVE to do something. That is not their job. Their job, one of them, is to secure the borders which is a huge issue. The diseases brought in are no joke, as we are seeing.

The only way to never have diseases brought in is to not allow anyone to ever come into the country that has been out of it and never to import anything. And well that would be the government telling people they HAVE to do something which is inconsistent with you not being in favor of government telling people they HAVE to do something. Your position is not only unworkable, it is inconsistent.

 

[Planogirl]

I applaud this. It's not just about one individual child but all kids and whether they are protected or not.

Plus the government is to promote the general Welfare per the Constitution and I believe that this falls under that category.

 

[superme80]

Since it is for the "good" of eveyone, will the legislators return the money the pharmicutical companies donated?

 

[bcla]

Also, this- from the article- really bothers me. We're essentially restricting rights of US citizens because non-citizens are importing diseases. We need to be stricter with border control.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and California state health officials said pockets of people philosophically opposed to vaccines were helping measles cases imported from other countries take hold and spread."

Uh - no. The major importation vector into the US is unvaccinated (or not fully immune) US citizens visiting countries without effective vaccination. Either that or tourists. The irony is that the undocumented coming into the US from Latin America typically come from places with effective vaccination programs.

The biggest outbreak of measles was from unvaccinated Amish missionaries doing relief work in the Philippines. Then they brought it back to their community. Apparently the Amish aren't specifically against vaccinations, but a couple of kids in this particular community got sick after being vaccinated (it happens occasionally but probably wasn't all that severe) and the rest of this community decided they no longer wanted to vaccinate.

http://www.dailynews.com/health/201...break-dwarfed-by-2014s-in-ohios-amish-country

The largest U.S. measles outbreak in recent history isn’t the one that started in December at Disneyland. It happened months earlier in Ohio’s Amish country, where 383 people fell ill after unvaccinated Amish missionaries traveled to the Philippines and returned with the virus.

The Ohio episode drew far less attention, even though the number of cases was almost four times that of the Southern California outbreak, because it seemed to pose little threat outside insolated religious communities.

** **

Homegrown measles has not occurred in the United States since 2000 due to an aggressive vaccination campaign. But outbreaks have hit in recent years with nearly all cases linked to travelers who caught the virus overseas where measles still rages and spread it in this country among pockets of unvaccinated people.

 

[bcla]

I was hoping someone was going to point that out. You can refuse all you want, but LIVE with the consequences of that decision. You will need to homeschool or find a sympathetic private school. Decisions have consequences. That's all that has happened with this legislation.

Under the law, private schools are subject to the same regulations for student vaccinations as public schools. They were subject to the same laws before, but "personal belief" exemptions were pretty easy to get. Now only home-schooling or independent study (without use of an organized school resource) is exempt.

 

[hsmamato2]

From the article..."The United States is one of the few countries where states and school districts require proof of vaccination for children to attend public schools." I would be very interested in statistics from other countries- vaccination compliance rates and outbreaks recorded....if what many here are applauding as a 'great thing' really is all that 'great' or effective then the US schoolchildren should be the safest kids in the world. (Insert rolleyes here) Statistically speaking. Personally, all other arguments aside,the idea of govt. mandated medical compliance that leaves no room for questioning or personal choice is.... Disturbing. . Erosion of parental rights sounds great to many....till some other issue comes along that you may or may not agree with,but you are given no decision in the matter. I'm not addressing the right vs. wrong of This vac here,just the notion that you as a parent get no option.

 

[momof2n2]

I vaccinate & believe in the good of them. I do not believe the rights of a parent to make decisions for their children should be stripped away.
Parents should be allowed to refuse any (or all) vax. They should, however, expect to see their children's opportunities to be involved (in schools, camps, sports) restricted.

I have many friends who do not vax, but the all homeschool.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Yay! A Vax/No Vax thread! Just in time for summer vacation!

 

[anniemae]

I wish all states would pass this.