In March 2019, IFA reported on our new understanding of the use of DNA and cellular remains of aborted children as an ingredient in vaccines on the market today. We also learned of active campaigns in legislatures nationwide designed to eliminate existing religious freedoms that exempt individuals who chose not to use these products based on their faith.

By June 2019, Maine and New York joined California, Mississippi and West Virginia in oppressing religious freedom. In the state of New York, 26,000 children were unable to begin school this fall unless their parents ignored their conscience, succumbed to persecution, and capitulated to the state. Just last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom enacted new legislation further restricting the use of a citizen’s remaining medical exemption.

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What does this mean for California?

Under the new law, SB 276, physicians extending medical exemptions for compulsory vaccinations to more than 5 patients annually must have their decisions reviewed by a state board. Although this board likely does not know the patients’ medical histories or have a relationship with them, their verdict to grant or deny exemptions is final.

This is the current list of over 25 required vaccinations to attend California schools. Without exemptions, as new vaccines are rolled out and/or added to the required list – including HPV (Gardasil), Ebola and HIV/AIDS vaccines, there will be no recourse to refuse them. Citizens will either obey the law, or face persecution.

California has worked in partnership with major lobbying efforts of groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which announced on March 16^th that their number one health priority was also to eliminate religious exemption for vaccines. The AAP tasked their Board of Directors to develop the political strategies to advocate that state legislatures “eliminate/reduce religious* exemptions that have allowed immunization refusals.” Following a swift backlash, their headline and text altered “religions” to “ *non-medical exemptions,” as seen in the graphic.

What emerged last week in California was the result of an exemption elimination progression that began in September 2012 under the leadership of then Assemblyman Richard Pan, M.D, a pediatrician. Claiming that vaccine rates in California were too low, the legislature passed AB 2109, requiring a physician to authorize a patient’s personal belief exemption, used by those with religious objections.

In June of 2015, after Dr. Pan claimed that AB 2109 did not raise vaccine rates enough, California enacted SB 277, completely removing the exemption for both public and private school attendance, including Christian schools. Families choosing not to buy and use vaccine products containing aborted fetal cell lines were no longer allowed to attend any school in California.

Only medical exemptions remained. Dr. Pan and his supporters vowed to ensure they would be protected. As families called to secure medical exemptions, even when their children had experienced serious adverse reactions such as anaphylactic shock, they were repeatedly told that no physician would extend a medical exemption. Listen for yourself here.

Reportedly, only about 100 of the nearly 113,000 physicians across the state continued to authorize medical exemptions. As a result, this remnant was placed under investigation by the California Medical Board. To date, none of these doctors have been found guilty of writing any inappropriate medical exemptions but were marked for harassment into compliance by the state.

On September 7, 2019 claiming that health officials required more power to quell disease outbreaks, a third bill, SB 262, was passed at the urging of now Senator Pan. This policy initiative states, “the local health officer may issue orders to other governmental entities within the local health officer’s jurisdiction to take any action the local health officer deems necessary to control the spread of the communicable disease.” The bill sets no restrictions on what actions the health officer may order. The bill has not yet been signed by Governor Newsom.

Two days later, on September 9, 2019, despite absence of proof that medical exemptions were being abused by “bad doctors,” the California Senate and Assembly suspended the rules to concurrently pass SB 276 and SB 714 as quickly as possible. The bills were signed into law by Governor Newsom the same day – and severely restrict a patient’s ability to secure an exemption for valid medical reasons.

Currently, the California Legislature is debating and amending AB283, which would remove religious rights of families to opt out of the vaccine requirements for children to be vaccinated according to school law, whether not yet old enough for school or even if they are being homeschooled, in order to receive federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare funds. This bill has not yet passed the legislature and has not been signed by Governor Newsom.

Senator Pan is also promoting SR 58 – a resolution laying the groundwork for the mandatory vaccination of all Californians, including adults.

Why should you care about what is happening in California?

Your state legislature now has a blueprint for the successful removal of your religious freedom rights. They also have the powerful support of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, philanthropic organizations and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What can you do?

You can pray. Please see our Prayer Guide: Immunized Against Effective Prayer.

Pray for God’s mercy in this situation. Pray that He would reveal His wisdom and make His truth, and will, known in this complicated and emotional health issue. Pray for California’s government to operate in God’s will as they pass then enact or veto current legislation and enforce their existing laws.

This is not to instill fear. This is to explain why this is a serious, and complex, issue, that impacts fellow believers in five states. This is to raise awareness that this issue may soon impact you and your family. Our brothers and sisters are forced to face a compulsory medical procedure using products containing biblically questionable ingredients, or face persecution for standing firm in their faith-based decisions.

We pray that these difficult conversations are held with grace and mercy. Pray with us for unity in the Body of Christ, especially as all manner of religious freedoms are being eroded. Pray with us that church leadership will seriously seek the Lord on these matters and advise their congregations. Pray with us that all conversations are held with grace and mercy, seasoned with salt and light, conducted with respect for each other and approached in peace and humility.

The time to seek the Father and ask Him for wisdom in this subject is before legislation is introduced in your state next spring. Seek His guidance on what you should do personally, and what you should do corporately.