The measles outbreak has provoked California lawmakers to back legislation that would reduce personal belief exemptions for some or all required school vaccinations–but Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., wants them to reconsider.
26 Democrats sponsored Senate Bill 277 early on, with two Republicans quickly joining in support.
RFK, Jr. says he has vaccinated all six of his children–and according to a conversation with the Sacramento Bee, Kennedy considers himself “pro-vaccine.” Kennedy told the Bee, “I believe everybody should get vaccinated, but I also understand it’s a nuanced issue. It’s not as simple as they make it.”
The son of a former U.S. Senator and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy added, “I don’t feel that my children were damaged by vaccines, but I know that other children have been.”
Oregon lawmakers have backed away from legislation requiring additional required vaccines. Kennedy told the Bee that he had shown the vaccine-warning movie Trace Amounts to some of the Oregon legislators before they set the bill aside. He hopes to screen the film in California’s capitol as well.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has released statistics showing that fewer parents are opting out of vaccines this year.
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