California has passed a bill tightening the restrictions around vaccinations for school children, a piece of legislation that drew criticism from anti-vax activists and actress Jessica Biel.
Currently, school children in the state need only a doctor’s note to forego vaccinations, but Senate Bill 276 will require all medical exemptions to be approved by the State’s Department of Health.
Biel campaigned against the bill alongside prominent anti-vax activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. She insisted she does not oppose vaccinations in general, but merely the tightening of restrictions.
Senator Richard Pan, who drafted the bill, said that it was an attempt to crack down on “unscrupulous” doctors writing fake medical exemptions for children who do not “truly need” them.
Amongst the supporters of the new legislation is Kristen Bell. The star of The Good Place took to twitter to say that she is glad “my kids and yours” will be safe from preventable diseases.
https://twitter.com/IMKristenBell/status/1141841429787922432
The passage of the bill is surely a dreadful blow to parents who believe they should be the ones to decide whether their kids and yours die from easily preventable diseases.
A State Assembly Health Committee passed the bill by a 9-2 vote, and it will now move on to an Assembly Appropriations Committee.
