SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers moved ahead Wednesday with tougher rules that limit parents from choosing whether to vaccinate their schoolchildren as a handful of opponents shouted “We will not comply” inside the Senate. The California proposal would give state public health officials instead of local doctors the authority to decide which children can skip their shots before attending school. Democratic Sen. Richard Pan of Sacramento said his proposal is needed because some “unscrupulous physicians” have been selling medical immunization exemptions since California ended non-medical exemptions in 2016. Under the plan, doctors would have to certify that they examined the patient and then send the state health department the reason they are recommending the exemption. Four Democratic lawmakers did not vote, with two Democratic senators saying it goes too far or reneges on lawmakers’ earlier promise not to infringe on medical exemptions.

Source: National Post May 22, 2019 20:48 UTC