If your doctor offers a diagnosis and treatment plan you don’t agree with, what do you do? GET A SECOND OPINION!
SO If your doctor denies you a Vaccine Medical Exemption, what do you do? GET A SECOND OPINION!
http://avoiceforchoice.org/second-opinion/
Has your pediatrician told you that your child does not qualify for a medical exemption? You’re not alone. Many families in California are being turned away by their school districts and by their pediatricians, simply because they do not understand California’s new state law.
Pediatricians mistakenly believe that medical exemptions are limited to the CDC list of contraindications, which only list anaphylaxis, coma, prolonged seizures, or severe immunodeficiency. In reality, Senate Bill 277, expanded the medical exemption criteria to include “any circumstances, including but not limited to, family medical history, for which the physician does not recommend immunization…” During his signing, Governor Brown added to the law that “the judgment and sound discretion of the physician” would be sufficient grounds for a medical exemption.
So, what is a family to do, when their pediatrician refuses to consider signing a medical exemption? Certainly it would be a noble effort to try to inform the pediatrician of the nuances of the law. But if the pediatrician dismisses the information, it’s time to seek a second opinion. Remember, informed consent must be just that — uncoerced consent to a procedure based on adequate information. Coercion is not consent.
You do not have to feel trapped. You do have options. Throughout California, licensed physicians are evaluating their patients and, if warranted, are signing medical exemptions based on the criteria established by SB 277. If your pediatrician does not understand SB 277, find a new pediatrician.
For more information, email us at info@avoiceforchoice.org.
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