In the space of 18 months, Augustina Ursino says, four local pediatricians turned her family away – all because she chooses not to have her children vaccinated.
Now Ursino, a Pacific Grove parent who writes for anti-vaccine website VacTruth.com, is speaking up against proposed legislation to eliminate the “personal beliefs” exemption for children enrolling in school.
If signed into law, SB 277 would allow parents to skip their children’s shots for medical reasons only.
“I don’t think anybody should have their rights taken away to choose what medical treatment they get, especially for their child,” Ursino says.
Senators Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, and Ben Allen, D-Redondo Beach, introduced the bill Feb. 19 in the wake of a measles outbreak that originated at Disneyland in mid-December.
Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, is a co-author. “With vaccination rates low in certain areas, we’re starting to see epidemics with diseases we hadn’t seen in a long time,” he says.
In the case of vaccinations, Stone says, the broader public good outweighs individual rights. “That’s what we’re looking at: what the potential harm is, what the potential benefit is, and try to make policy,” he says.
State. Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, supported a successful 2012 bill requiring a doctor’s note for the vaccination exemption form. He hasn’t taken a position yet on SB 277, but he says he’ll be paying attention as a member of the Senate Health Committee.
“I am inclined to be supportive of public health measures that protect our communities,” he adds.
Ursino notes many children in Monterey County are not fully vaccinated. “I have seen firsthand, the unvaccinated children are thriving,” she says.
She stresses that while she questions the safety of immunizations, she’s an advocate for choice. “I don’t tell people they shouldn’t get vaccinated,” she says. “I encourage them to get informed.”