Vaccination Bill Penalizes Schoolchidren

I am concerned about the lack of rational perception in regard to SB 277, the legislation that removes our right to opt out of some or all of the vaccines on the current vaccination schedule. SB 277 lists 10 mandated vaccines and “any other disease deemed appropriate by the department.” That translates to about 40 doses of 10 vaccines by age 6 with the ability to mandate additional vaccines as deemed necessary by the government.

The proponents of SB 277 claim their support for mandatory vaccination is based on the science. However, there is no scientific vaccine safety evidence to support the suggested vaccination schedule of 40 doses of 10 vaccines by the age of 6 years. In fact, prior to the current vaccine schedule, the U.S. Supreme Court declared vaccines to be “unavoidably unsafe,” but instead of requiring drug companies to produce safe vaccines, the court shielded the pharmaceutical industry from vaccine injury lawsuits, granting drug companies and medical providers legal immunity. It is truly impossible for an accurate risk-benefit analysis of vaccines with the lack of scientific evidence in place.

However, there are statistics that are kept by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). This is a national vaccine safety surveillance program cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VAERS receives approximately 30,000 vaccination injury reports annually, with 13 percent classified as serious (e.g., associated with disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death). Under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, over $3 billion has been paid out for vaccine injuries and deaths. The money paid for injuries and death due to vaccines comes from a surcharge on each vaccination.

SB 277 is a wrong-headed attempt to solve a problem that does not exist. In a population of 38 million, California has reported 136 cases of measles in 2015, 18 percent of the measles cases were in school-aged children — 24 children. These are not numbers to warrant a government medical mandate. Out of 8,200 cases of pediatric pertussis reported in 2014, 90 percent of the children had been vaccinated. This should call into question the efficacy of vaccinations.

We are losing trust in our bodies’ ability to fight illnesses. When I was young, I had measles and mumps. My body recovered, and I was left with a natural immunity that I passed along to my newborn children. Vaccinated mothers will not pass temporary immunity to their newborns. My son had chicken pox when he was 5, and my daughter had chicken pox when she was 20. Both recovered without issue. Measles has a devastating impact on malnourished, under developed countries where people do not have the vitamins necessary to process the disease.

SB 277 discriminates against children and denies their civil right to a public school education. This legislation ignores ramifications of excluding children from a public education classroom. What would the costs be to enforce current vaccination schedules, and what money will be lost in attendance while families choose to comply or withdraw? Certainly more money than I would like to see detract from educating our community of children. I am not prepared to realize the consequences of children denied a school-based education under our state Constitution.

It is shocking that legislation is proposed that will take away parents’ rights to make medical choices for their children rather than turn attention to the complicated nature of natural immunity, the effectiveness of our bodies design to fight disease, the ability of a virus and bacteria to evolve and become unresponsive to current vaccines, the true efficacy of vaccines, the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies that make them, and the over $3 billion paid to families of children with vaccine injuries.

I am For Medical Choice and I am For a Child’s Right to a Public Education. Hysteria has spread to taking away our right to advocate for our health by mandating vaccines and shielding drug companies and medical providers. SB 277 will compromise the health and education of our community rather than promote or ensure it.