LA Times: Help a cancer patient — reject anti-vaccine nonsense, 5/14/2019

Re “Are they risking the health of unborn grandchildren?” column, May 10

Once again, physician and state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) is leading the fight to protect people from their worst instincts on vaccines.

In 2015, when Pan was pushing a bill to eliminate nonmedical exemptions for vaccinations among public school kids, I told him in a letter that my husband suffered from blood cancer and because he was on drugs that suppressed his immune system, he was susceptible to any and all illnesses. It was very scary to see so many people reject vaccinations.

Later that year, my husband died. Now, it is scary to see this backlash happening again as Pan tries once more to address the way exemptions are granted.

As to the supposed infringement on parents’ liberties, what about my right to a life from preventable diseases? Remember polio? That seems to be forgotten.

Anti-vaccination parents are not evil people. I think they are misinformed, and I suspect some have been too vocal about this for too long to be able to back down, but that’s not a good enough excuse to put vulnerable children and adults at unnecessary risk.

Stephanie Strout, Pasadena