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Hundreds of parents turned out to a Santa Monica rally against a new state law that will require all school-aged children to be vaccinated. John Cádiz Klemack reports for the NBC4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. on July 3, 2015.
Hundreds of parents gathered in Santa Monica Friday to call for the repeal of a controversial new state law that would require vaccinations for all school-age children in California.
Despite being signed into law from the governor, many parents said that doesn’t mean their fight for vaccination freedom is over.
"In communist countries they force you to do things, but in America, that’s the most un-American thing I’ve ever heard of," said Karen Aelle of Altadena.
When SB 277 goes into effect in January, it will require vaccinations for all school children before entering public or private school, regardless of religious or personal beliefs. The only exception would be kids whose doctors say the vaccine could hurt them.
"We want freedom of choice. We want parental rights," said Cathey Painter of West Hollywood.
The parents argue that they have the right to make the decision for their kids — not politicians — or doctors.
"You have to choose between the best education for your child or what you feel is the safest way to vaccinate and I think that goes against everything our country was founded on," Painter said.
But many doctors say the required vaccines would make all children safer.
Dr. Jaime Lara is a family physician at the Universal Community Health Center in downtown LA. He said parents who opt out of the vaccine could potentially endanger their child’s life.
"That’s just a dangerous idea," he said.
He also dismissed concern that the vaccinations could lead to illness.
"We have all the evidence in the world that these vaccines are very safe and they aren’t linked to any of these terrible diseases," he said.
Lara said the state’s move to require the vaccines was necessary, claiming too many parents risked the lives of other children, too, by not vaccinating their own.
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"I think it’s a victory for education, medicine and science as well as reason," he said.
But organizers of Friday’s health freedom rally said they won’t stop trying to get the state of California to change its stance and is now pushing a referendum to overturn the law.
"We are losing our medical freedom, not at the hands of our enemy but at the hands of our own citizens and it is now time for Americans to wake up and pay attention to what their elected officials are doing," said Cathey Painter.