This was a response to much contact with his office and multiple conversations with his staff.-
Thank you for contacting my office regarding your opposition to SB 277 (Pan) relating to vaccinations. I appreciate you taking the time to write me on issues mattering most to you. The recent outbreak of measles has caused many to believe we are now seeing the effect of California’s “exemption” clause. This has now prompted debate of our state’s policy on the issue and has materialized into SB 277 which will mandate vaccines for public school children by eliminating the personal exemption clause. Having heard both sides of the vaccine debate in my role as a member of the Senate Education Committee, I do not believe the current outbreak of measles warrants elimination of the personal exemption. While I am sensitive to the needs of immune compromised individuals, the reality is some vaccines (such as the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine) wear off after time. Some vaccines actually make the person vaccinated contagious for a while (i.e. the Chicken Pox vaccine). We also have a large immigrant and tourist population who are not vaccinated. To that end, an elimination of the personal exemption is not in and of itself helpful to those who are immune compromised. A parent having a child with a compromised immune system would be negligent to place their child in a public school or public amusement park without expecting diseases to be transmitted. With all that said, I value vaccines and the medical advances that have created a plethora of vaccines available to protect us from many horrible diseases. I have even inoculated myself and my family. However, the current rules of inoculation, in my estimation, are not broken, and are serving us well. I have not yet heard a compelling argument that would warrant my trading the personal choice of parents to an over-reach of governmental authority. Bottom line is preserving the freedom of choice is outweighing the need for this measure. I think both sides of the argument can be protected by educating people to the realities of vaccines not mandating them. Rest assured, your thoughts on this issue was logged and taken into consideration. Once again, thank you for contacting me. If I may be of further assistance on this or any other state-related matter, please do not hesitate to contact me at either of my offices. It is an honor to represent you in the State Senate. Sincerely, Bob Huff |
#1 by Leslie on May 14, 2015 - 5:33 am
Senator Huff –
I can’t thank you enough for your support. My son is autistic, yet he is not vaccinated. The reason he hasn’t received any shots is because both our pediatrician and our specialist felt my son was always too sick to receive them. I have been so thankful for their advice. I went in on his four-month check up to get him vaccinated. Had I done that, I’m not sure I’d have the son I do today – he’s bright, conversational, funny, imaginative, etc. We’ve been doing everything in our power to recover him since he was just 12 months old. We later learned he has mitochondria issues and cerebral folate deficiency. A child with that medical profile shouldn’t be vaccinated, yet any other doctor would have followed a schedule and not his intuition that something more was wrong with my child.
Even with our extremely large medical history, it isn’t likely we will qualify for an exemption. Our two doctors explained to us that doctors like them will be the only ones handing our exemptions and this will put them at risk of investigation and losing their licenses. Dr. Bob Sear’s (who is not our doctor) said it best in his email this week. http://www.ageofautism.com/2015/04/dr-bob-sears-letter-to-ca-senators-re-sb277.html
The two most important factors is my son’s treatment plan is socialization and ABA therapy, both which will be removed from us if this bill passes. My son attends a well-known clinic that has him involved in social circles, which he loves, and one-on-one therapy. Since this is considered an developmental center, he will be banned from attending. The clinic is planning on sending an aid with him to start preschool this summer. We have chosen our school, paid the deposit, yet if this passes, he will not be able to attend. Our only option would be to do ABA therapy at home. Does that isolation sound like a good idea when treating a child with autism, which is a social-developmental disorder?
Of course, our priority is our child’s well-being. That’s why our plan is to move out-of-state. Thank God we have the means to do so. But what about the thousands of families similar to ours that don’t have that as an option. This is really so sad.
That’s why I’m so grateful for your support and your rational thinking. Will you run for governor, please?
Leslie
#2 by Anonymous on May 14, 2015 - 12:27 pm
Thank you for being brave enough to stand up for our children and our rights