California bill would end all vaccination loopholes except medical

[proverbialwisdom]

22. AP: Bills Banning Most Vaccine Exemptions Fail in Northwest

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/oregon-lawmaker-drops-bill-ban-vaccine-exemptions-29564095

Bills Banning Most Vaccine Exemptions Fail in Northwest

SALEM, Ore. — Mar 11, 2015, 9:32 PM ET
By SHEILA V KUMAR and RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press

Legislative efforts to increase pressure on parents to get their kids vaccinated failed in Oregon and Washington state Wednesday amid stiff opposition as a handful of other statehouses consider similar bills prompted by a measles outbreak at Disneyland.

Oregon's measure, which had the support of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, would have made the state the third in the country allowing exemptions from immunizations only for medical reasons, and no longer for religious, philosophical or personal reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia are the only other states that have comparable laws in place.

In Washington state, a similar effort to remove personal or philosophical opposition to vaccines as an authorized exemption from childhood school immunizations died in the state House after failing to come up for a vote before a key deadline. Religious and medical exemptions would have remained under that bill.

Washington state Rep. June Robinson, who had sponsored the bill, said she didn't have the votes she needed. The Democrat from Everett said the pushback from parents and others opposed to the change had an effect on some lawmakers.

"There was a very loud outcry, much of which was filled with false information," she said.

The Oregon bill's sponsor, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, of Portland, said opposition largely revolved around who was right or wrong about the benefits of vaccines and she has decided not to pursue the legislation.

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FROM THE COMMENTS:
44 minutes ago
Hoping Ms. Robinson will be more specific about the "false information"?