Given the recent dubious responses by some GOP presidential candidates on the issue of vaccine safety, you would think the outlook on the topic would be bleak. But there's some good news on the vaccine front!
You may remember California bill SB 277, the bill that removed non-medical exemptions from school vaccine requirements in the state. Dr. Richard Pan, the state senator who sponsored the measure, fought long and hard to get the bill passed and signed into law. At the time we noted that the the new law would face challenges, the first of which being that activists would try to get it repealed as a ballot measure for the 2016 election.
For a California referendum to be included on the November 2016 ballot, it required 365,880 signatures from registered voters by October 1st of this year. These opponents of public health, however, were only able to get 228,000 signatures, far short of the requirement. The law, will therefore, not f
ace a repeal vote from the general electorate.
And with that good news, please indulge us here at the American Council on Science and Health as we take a moment to do our happy dance!
The bill will still face more challenges, particularly at the State Supreme Court. Dr. Pan also faces a potential recall vote. But the failure of this misguided group to get a measly amount of supporters in a state of 24 million adults speaks volumes to how fringe-y these folks really are. Despite how vocal they appear to be, and their visibility bestowed upon them due to celebrity backers, anti-vaccination sentiment is actually very low in California. And we couldn't be happier.
