The California state legislature is debating a bill that would abolish the exemption that allows parents to forgo vaccinating their children if it conflicts with their personal beliefs.
California has been the state hardest hit by the current measles outbreak, totaling 92 cases since the end of December 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times. Most of the cases stemmed from an exposure at Disneyland over the holidays, and the majority of the cases so far are from those who are unvaccinated, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The new proposed legislation only addresses children who are educated in the public and private school systems and would still exempt children from vaccinations for medical reasons such as allergic responses and weak immune systems, according to the Los Angeles Times. Only two states, Mississippi and West Virginia, do not allow any exemptions except for medical reasons.
State Sen. Richard Pan, a sponsor of the bill, cited a study that found in some California communities more than 10 percent of parents have used the personal belief exemption to excuse their children from vaccination.
"There are not enough people being vaccinated to contain these dangerous diseases," Pan told the Los Angeles Times."We should not wait for more children to sicken or die before we act."