San Francisco subpoenas pediatrician over vaccine exemptions

San Francisco's city attorney is subpoenaing a local pediatrician for anonymous medical records as part of an ongoing investigation into vaccine exemptions.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera is investigating whether Kenneth Stoller, MD, has been illegally granting vaccine exemptions to children who do not have a legitimate medical condition that warrants an exemption.

These actions would violate a 2016 state law that requires all school-aged children in California to be vaccinated unless they qualify for a medical exemption approved by a physician.

Mr. Herrera alleges that Dr. Stoller is a vocal vaccine opponent who told an anti-vaccine website that he bases medical exemption decisions off of two 30-minute patient visits and a 23andMe genetic test. 23andMe's website says its tests should not be used to inform medical decisions.

Dr. Stoller has 15 days to respond to the city's subpoena, which was issued May 8.

"We're going to review the matter," his lawyer, Richard Jaffe, said in a statement cited by The Sacramento Bee. "I don't see how this has anything to do with the city of San Francisco. He's a medical doctor giving advice to patients."

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