SACRAMENTO, June 30 (UPI) -- California lawmakers passed a bill that requires mandatory vaccinations for nearly all schoolchildren, leaving Gov. Jerry Brown to make the final decision.
The measure, one of the toughest vaccination bills in the country, passed the last legislative hurdle Monday, amid heated debate since it was first introduced in response to a measles outbreak that began at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. earlier this year. The bill allows for medical exemptions but does not allow parents to opt out based on personal or religious beliefs.
"The science remains unequivocal that vaccines are safe and vaccines save lives," said Sen. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and an author of the bill.
If passed, California would stand with just two other states, Mississippi and West Virginia, that don't allow religious or personal-belief exemptions. Brown has not indicated whether he will sign the bill, but the governor's spokesman said the governor "believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit."
If the bill becomes law, parents who choose to avoid vaccines with a medical exemption must home-school or set up an independent study course with the school.
