Less than a week ago, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that would disallow exemption from vaccination based upon religious or philosophical beliefs, effective July 1 of next year. California now joins the short list of states (accompanied only by Mississippi and West Virginia) that allow immunization exemption solely for medical reasons as specifically prescribed by an M.D.

The decision comes after a very long and very public discussion in California (and around the country) about the risks--or lack thereof--that come with vaccinating children. The most prominent aspect of which centers around the theory that vaccines have been linked to a higher risk of autism in children, and has been highly vocalized by some less-than-learned celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, and our favorite presidential candidate, Donald Trump. However, even after the disproving of this theory, and the successful passing of the bill, California Sen. Richard Pan, by whom it was introduced, has received a series of death threats.

It is clear that even with the existence of countless studies on the positive impact of vaccines, anti-vaxxers simply refuse to pay attention to medical evidence, and instead opt for fear mongering and hearsay. Not only do they make it difficult for the public to receive accurate information by drowning it out with their tantrums, they also make it easier for other children to get sick. Yes, you heard right: anti-vaxxers literally help spread disease. It stems from something called "Herd Immunity." Here's how it works: "If the majority of people in a community have been vaccinated against a disease, an unvaccinated person is less likely to get sick because others are less likely to get sick and spread the disease." However, when more and more unvaccinated children are introduced to the pool, the likelihood of getting sick rises. This means that children who are unable to become immunized for health reasons are put at higher risk by the children of idiots who think a flu shot will give their child autism.

So with the implementation of Senate Bill 277, anti-vaxxers don't have the choice to put others at risk for their "philosophical" differences anymore. The science is clear: vaccines work, and it's time for long-debunked myths about the dangers of immunization to fade into the background. Thousands fewer children will get sick and die from diseases that are easily preventable; newer and more accurate information on vaccination can be given a stronger voice; and Jim Carrey can finally shut up on twitter.