The state Capitol is readying for thousands of opponents and supporters for the next hearing of a bill that would set new guidelines for how a doctor can grant medical exemptions for children receiving vaccines in order to attend school. The Assembly health committee is taking precautions to prevent people...
What’s Wrong With Anti-Vaxxers? They’re Just Like the Rest of Us.
Whenever I talk about my research on how parents come to decide to reject vaccines for their children, my explanations are met with a range of reactions, but I almost always hear the same questions. What is wrong with those parents? Are they anti-science? Are they anti-expert? Are they simply...
US Measles Cases Hit Highest Mark in 25 Years
NEW YORK — Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 years, closing in on 700 cases this year in a resurgence largely attributed to misinformation that is turning parents against vaccines. "This is alarming," said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert. Not only...
Vaccine Exemptions: Do Health Officials Want to Override MDs?
Do local health officials want the responsibility for reviewing medical exemptions for required childhood immunizations? A proposed state law has put the debate over government involvement in personal health care decisions and parental rights back in the spotlight. Fresno County Public Health Director David Pomaville has mixed feelings. “It becomes...
RFK Jr. Opposes Bill Reviewing Medical Exemptions for Vaccines
Bobby Kennedy Jr. opposes a proposed California law imposing oversight over doctors who exempt children from vaccinations to attend school. The author of the bill, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), says SB 276 is needed to prevent fraudulent and phony exemptions. State health data shows that medical exemptions tripled (from...
Pan’s Bill Would Further Restrict Vaccine Exemptions for Schoolkids
Wanting to crack down on what he calls fraudulent doctors, a California legislator introduced a bill that would take the power to approve medical exemptions away from doctors and grant it to other health professionals. Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) introduced SB 276 at a Sacramento news conference Tuesday. Pan, a...
On the Record: Sen. Pan on Changing Vaccine Laws and When it May Happen
Richard Pan is the state senator who launched a thousand flame wars. To those who believe vaccines are essential for keeping school children safe from disease, the Sacramento Democrat is a hero and champion. [text-wrap] Richard Pan Interview from GV Wire on Vimeo. For those who have alternative views on...
Divisions of Labor? Reports of Heated Debate on Parks Sales Tax.
Is there a split among city labor organizations over Measure P, the 3/8 of a cent sales tax initiative for parks that Fresno voters will decide next month? A mini-debate broke out at a recent city labor function, that multiple sources told GV Wire became heated. The Coalition of Organized...
Should Vaccines Be Required To Receive Welfare?
Assemblyman Kansen Chu (D-San Jose) says he doesn’t want to penalize welfare recipients whose children’s immunizations aren't up to date. But his proposed AB 1992 may just do just that, according to a parents’ rights group. State law requires CalWORKs recipients to be current on their immunizations or face a...