--- title: California Senate Passes Bill That Eliminates Parents Option to Not Vaccinate description: California senate has passed a bill 25 to 10 that could help ensure that parents vaccinate their children. The bill would prohibit parents from not vaccinating their kids for religious or philosophical beliefs. canonical: https://time.com/3859294/california-bill-parents-vaccines/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-14T20:37:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T07:13:01.605Z article:section: Health og:title: California Senate Passes Bill That Eliminates Parents Option to Not Vaccinate og:description: California senate has passed a bill 25 to 10 that could help ensure that parents vaccinate their children. The bill would prohibit parents from not vaccinating their kids for religious or philosophical beliefs. og:url: https://time.com/3859294/california-bill-parents-vaccines/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt356c7d923ef007f4/6987789a35ba6f3183c065a3/health-syringe-needle-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Health Syringe Needle og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: California Senate Passes Bill That Eliminates Parents Option to Not Vaccinate twitter:description: California senate has passed a bill 25 to 10 that could help ensure that parents vaccinate their children. The bill would prohibit parents from not vaccinating their kids for religious or philosophical beliefs. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt356c7d923ef007f4/6987789a35ba6f3183c065a3/health-syringe-needle-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # California Bill to Scrap Vaccine Exemption Moves Forward by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 14, 2015 8:37 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 14, 2015 8:37 PM UTC The California senate has passed a bill that could help ensure that parents vaccinate their children, months after a measles outbreak in the state linked to low vaccination rates. The bill, which passed the senate 25 to 10, would prohibit parents from not vaccinating their kids for religious or philosophical beliefs, [public radio station KPCC](http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/05/14/51688/calif-senate-passes-vaccination-bill-sb-277/) reports. The bill now moves on the state assembly. If it eventually becomes law, California would become the 32nd state to ban such exemptions from vaccines. The bill comes only a few months after a[ measles outbreak](http://time.com/3826968/california-measles-outbreak-over/) which infected 169 people from 20 states was traced back to a Disneyland theme park in the state. Researchers [point to low vaccination rates](http://time.com/3746253/disneyland-measles-low-vaccination/) as the reason for the outbreak. Opponents of the bill argues it goes against parents’ rights to make decisions about their children’s health. 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