No Vaccines Means No School
If you have children, pay close attention. You may soon be breaking California law if you choose to not vaccinate your little ones.
Senate Bill 277 is swiftly making its way through the process that would turn it into law. Already having passed several committee votes, the bill will soon be presented to the powers that be in an attempt to make it official California law. But what will it mean to you?
Under current California law, you may opt out of vaccines for your children if immunizations do not align with your personal or religious beliefs. The current law, AB 2109, gives parents a choice to not vaccinate, provided they document understanding of the information presented to them by their children’s pediatricians.
Opponents of the bill want lawmakers to give the current law time to be effective. Since its signing, AB 2109 has seen a rise in the state’s vaccination rates, climbing by 20 percent. They also say that the Personal Beliefs Exemption is not one that is taken lightly. Parents must prove that vaccinations are against their personal or religious beliefs, not just say they are.
What Bill 277 will do, many are afraid, is remove children from the educational system. When this occurs, parents will be forced to homeschool their children, many being unequipped to do so. If this happens, people fear, many parents will be forced to leave their jobs in order to stay home with their children. What will happen in single-parent families or those who have low-incomes, opponents ask?
No studies have ever showed that a law will change people’s minds about those things that they feel deeply about. People will make the necessary sacrifices to support the things they hold dear. Opponents to Bill 277 point to this reasoning, voicing the opinion that the bill will not lead to more children being immunized which is its ultimate goal.
If you have children, follow this bill closely, no matter where you stand on the issue. Those for the bill worry that its failure will lead to fewer vaccinated children, those against it worry that they will soon have to pull their children from school for fear of becoming criminals.
If you have been accused of a crime and need legal representation, we are here to help you. Call our offices at your earliest convenience so that we can review the facts of your case. We are here to assist you in any way that we can. Call now.
Stephen Levine, is a Board Certified Specialist in Criminal Defense — an honor achieved by only the top criminal law attorneys in California. Mr. Levine has over 40 years of experience in criminal defense and family law serving Southern California, and is a highly regarded Super Lawyer as well as AV Rated attorney.