The Room Was Stacked. Then California Parents Spoke.
Friends,
Going into the California Senate Health Committee’s informational hearing on medical exemptions, we knew what we were walking into. The room was stacked against us, and the narrative we always hear was in full force.
Then it was time for the public to speak.
What the “experts” said
The California Department of Public Health made it sound like the system has no problems. Disneyland, measles, and more measles were offered as the reasons for having the strictest requirements in the country. No vaccine injuries, no side effects, and no problems with the system were acknowledged by any of the invited panels. Nobody explained why medical exemptions are needed in the first place.
The California chair of the AAP told the committee he doesn’t know of any doctors who are afraid to write exemptions, and that no physicians have come to the AAP saying they won’t write them. In the same testimony, he admitted that one of his own exemptions was denied by the state panel.
A public commenter answered that beautifully. The AAP represents only about half of California’s physicians. The other half, the doctors outside its membership, are often the ones caring for the children AAP doctors won’t see: the unvaccinated and the medically vulnerable. And let’s be honest. What doctor, afraid of losing their license, is going to tell the AAP? None. It makes them a target.
The Medical Board of California pointed to just over 30 physicians on the disciplinary list who can’t write exemptions. What it didn’t mention: thousands of others have been disqualified for other reasons.
What does it look like when Californians show up for health freedom?
At the California Health Senate Informational Hearing today, it looks like this.
The irony of the day
The Berkeley expert invited to open the hearing with a history of vaccines and vaccine hesitancy told us in the elevator afterward that she has concerns about vaccines and the schedule, and that she agreed with the public comments. When asked why she didn’t say so in the hearing, she said she wasn’t asked. She was there to talk about historical trends, not her own hesitancy.
That tells you everything about how this hearing was built.
Senator Jones asked the right questions
We’re grateful to Senator Brian Jones, who asked what the panels wouldn’t address on their own:
How many measles cases were in vaccinated individuals?
Why are vaccination rates dropping in the state with the strictest requirements in the country?
What about the doctors who are afraid to write exemptions?
Doctors spoke too
Dr. Joel “Gator” Warsh, a Los Angeles pediatrician, was one of the few physicians who spoke, and he spoke bravely on behalf of doctors and kids. PERK submitted Dr. Warsh’s name to represent our side, and we’re proud to share that he is now a member of the PERK board. Watch Dr. Warsh’s remarks here
And then came PUBLIC COMMENT!
What does it look like when Californians show up for health freedom? It looks like moms, dads, physicians, organizations, and leaders challenging the narrative at every turn. We heard:
Parents who could not get an exemption
Families forced into homeschooling
Doctors unwilling to write exemptions for fear of losing their license or being targeted
Numbers on vaccine injury and measles
Questions about money flowing to the AAP
COVID-injured Californians speaking up
Dads asking the committee directly: where is our side in this hearing?
Mothers telling their children’s stories
Organizations calling for a new hearing where families are actually represented
My own comment asked the committee to consider both what the data say and what they cannot say: paperwork errors, where children end up after an exemption is revoked, and how many exemptions were never written at all. Since September, more than 750 parents have answered PERK’s survey on how they experience vaccine recommendations. Well over 100 reported being denied a medical exemption. One parent wrote that they were told their “physician is afraid to give medical exemption due to fear of being punished and not being able to practice.”
The Advocacy Continues
PERK also submitted a formal written comment and survey addendum the day before the hearing.
One more call to action: send your written comment
There is still time to get your voice on the public record. Send your written comment to the Senate Health Committee:
Please be respectful. Stick to facts and arguments backed by credible sources. Personal stories are welcome! Tell the committee your story and let’s get it on the record.
Watch The Hearing Here
If you missed the hearing, click here to watch it in full.
Thank you
Thank you, Senator Jones, for showing up and continuing this conversation as lead author of SB 1377, a PERK-sponsored bill. Thank you to co-authors Senator Allen and Senator Cortese for continuing the bipartisan support that made this hearing happen.
And thank you to our partner organizations who showed up to speak and got the word out: Free Now Foundation, America’s Healthy Kids, American Frontline Workers for Freedom, Manage Her Podcast, Restore San Diego, Firefighters for Freedom, Future Generations Clinic of Chiropractic, Warriors In Need, WeThePeople Team, Children’s Health Defense CA Chapter, and so many more.
The experts had the panels. The families had the truth. We’re not done.
Look out for our next newsletter this week. We will be sharing more specific details about the hearing including public comments, so keep your eyes peeled!
Stronger together,
Amy Bohn
President and Co-Founder, PERK
At California’s Senate Health hearing on medical exemptions, the experts said the system works. Then parents, doctors, and advocates took the mic.