Vaccination Vote Postponed in California

The author of the bill which would require girls to have the Gardasil STD vaccine as a condition of attending junior high school withdrew his bill from a health committee vote today after it received "a cold reception" from legislators of both parties; "even some Democrats expressed concerns about requiring a vaccine that had been on the market for less than a year."

The bill's sponsor, Ed Hernandez, plans to make changes and bring it up again in April.

Hernandez claims "If this was a vaccine to eliminate or reduce breast cancer, we would not be having this discussion. Because it's a sexually transmitted disease, I think it's creating a lot of problems."

I feel that's completely untrue. It is reasonable for the state to require vaccinations for diseases which may be transmitted in class as a condition of attending school. It is not reasonable for the state to require vaccinations for other non-transmittable diseases as a condition of school attendance, or to force parents who wish to "opt out" to jump through hoops such as writing letters or signing waivers.

As I've posted here before in recent weeks, it's a short step from the state making this kind of decision to the state making other health-related choices for children in place of their parents.

More from the Associated Press.