Vaccination bill moves forward

The California Senate voted to approve controversial legislation, Senate Bill 277, that would mandate immunization for schoolchildren in the state.

The Senate voted 25-10 to approve the bill, which would remove the state's exemption that allows parents to opt out of vaccinations for their children due to personal beliefs, despite the objections of parents who maintain the legislation tramples on their parental rights, according to SFGate.com.

Some parents are adamantly opposed to vaccines and many are concerned that, should SB 277 become law, they would have to pull their children from school should they choose not to immunize them. Meanwhile, health experts maintain that low vaccination rates increase the likelihood of outbreaks of infectious diseases.

The bill heads to the state Assembly next, likely in July or August at the committee level.