A California legal group says it's unnecessary for the state to issue language that would make it more costly for parents to opt their children out of mandated vaccines.
Gov. Jerry Brown (D) is to decide the fate of Assembly Bill 2109, which would require parents who oppose mandatory vaccines to complete a government form, obtain a signature from a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant and attend a lecture about vaccines and diseases before actually opting their children out.
Matthew McReynolds, an attorney with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), says he and his group "don't think that's right."
"We think that parents should be able to exercise that right for a variety of reasons," he continues. "Many individuals believe that some vaccines may not be right for their children, and they shouldn't have to listen to a government-mandated lecture in order to exercise those rights."
The Associated Press reports that private school parents are far more likely to opt their children out of vaccinations than are public school parents. In fact, more than half of the kindergartners in over 100 private schools in the state did not receive all or some shots.
Parents say they avoid the vaccinations for personal or religious beliefs.