California Senate approves bill ending waiver for school vaccinations

Under a bill passed Thursday by the California state Senate, parents who choose to not have their children vaccinated will have to teach them at home or enroll them in an private homeschooling group.

Although a vast majority of children in the state are vaccinated, some parents worry about a link between vaccines and autism, and the bill eliminates the so-called personal belief exemption that lets parents skip vaccinations if they oppose them, Reuters reports. The measure still lets kids go to school if they cannot have vaccinations for medical reasons.

The bill was introduced after a measles outbreak that was traced to Disneyland sickened more than 100 people, and still needs to be approved by the Assembly. State Sen. Richard Pan (D), a pediatrician, co-authored the bill, and said the personal beliefs exemption "is endangering the public."

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