AB16 Alliance Letterhead.doc

[Guest guest]

Families for

Early

Autism

Treatment

July

10, 2007

California Senate Health Committee

Senator Aanestad Senator

Alquist

Senator Cedillo Senator

Senator Kuehl Senator

Maldonado

Senator Negrete-McLeod Senator

Ridley-

Senator Steinberg Senator

Wyland

Senator Yee cc:

Morano

Re: Opposition to AB 16 from the autism

community

Dear Distinguished Senators:

On

behalf of the Alliance of California Autism Organizations and the 200,000

Californians and their families that confront the challenges of Autism

everyday, we wish to express our strong opposition to AB 16 which will be heard

by the Senate Health Committee on July 11th.

This

bill is an outrageous attempt by the Pharmaceutical Industry to eliminate California health care safeguards in an attempt to dramatically increase sales and

profits. This bill would transfer the decision making authority on the vaccine

schedule from elected officials to the Director of Public Health and the Center

for Disease Control. These are appointed positions who are not accountable to

the general public. In addition, it would remove almost all support for parent

choice over whether to vaccinate their children. Currently, parents in California can exempt their children from vaccination on medical, religious, or

philosophical grounds. This bill would remove those exemptions and substitute

a weaker clause exempting children from vaccinations due to “parental beliefs”.

School districts could still deny children access to public education even if

parents exercised that exemption.

We

understand that the controversy over vaccines and autism is a highly debated

issue that is currently being contested in many venues. We oppose this bill

not because it is a vaccine issue but because it is weakens safety measures,

accountability, and parents’ informed consent.

Sincerely,

W. Matthias, Jr.

Alliance of California Autism Organizations

(916) 771-4454