Like it or not, your kids are just going to have to be vaccinated against preventable diseases, including diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles and mumps.
It doesn’t matter if you have religious objections or personal beliefs against vaccinations.
That’s the decision by a federal judge who refused to block a new California law requiring all children entering school or child-care facilities to be vaccinated.
A court action filed by 17 families and two foundations sought a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of Senate Bill 277 while their lawsuit against the new measure works its way through the courts.
The law was enacted after a measles epidemic that began in Disneyland in 2014.
In an 18-page ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego concluded that the plaintiffs failed to show they are entitled to the “extraordinary remedy” of a preliminary injunction.
Last month, the plaintiffs filed a motion alleging SB 277 violates their rights to free exercise, equal protection, due process and education.
The law — which went into effect July 1 — eliminated religious and personal beliefs as reasons for parents to opt out of getting their children vaccinated.
In enacting the law, state legislators said the intent was to provide a means for the eventual achievement of total immunization of appropriate age groups against childhood diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and other diseases.
The law requires all children to be vaccinated before attending public or private schools or day care facilities unless doctors give medical reasons for not doing it.
— From Staff and Wire Reports