California pediatrician Bob Sears is facing the loss of his medical license after the Medical Board of California accused him of improperly excusing a toddler from immunizations — thereby endangering the child and the general public.
Sears, author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, is widely-known for his criticism of vaccination laws and for offering an “alternative” vaccination schedule at his Orange County practice.
In legal documents released Thursday, the state’s medical board says Sears committed “gross negligence” by prescribing no more vaccines for the child back in 2014. Sears is at fault for failing to get a detailed history of the 2-year-old’s vaccines before he wrote the letter, according to the board. Instead, he based his action on reports from the child’s mother, who explained how her son went limp and lost urinary function after prior vaccinations.
By not providing an “evidence-based recommendation,” Sears left the child, his mother and “future contacts at risk for preventable and communicable disease,” reports the L.A. Times.
If he is found negligent, Sears faces a number of penalties — including revocation or suspension of his medical license.
Oregonians for Medical Freedom, a group of Oregon voters supporting medical freedom and parental rights that takes partial credit for defeating a bill similar to California’s SB 277, announced today it is concerned about the accusation.
“Dr. Sears, by granting a medical exemption, may very well have saved a young child’s life while causing no harm to the public,” Dr. Paul Thomas, a private practitioner in Portland, said in a news release. “As many remember during the SB 277 proceedings, Californians were publicly and repeatedly reassured by Senator Richard Pan, M.D. that doctors would not be under inappropriate scrutiny for providing medical exemptions from vaccines for at-risk patients. How much more at-risk can a child be than one who has suffered multiple adverse vaccine reactions?”
In response to the accusations against Sears, Oregonians for Medical Freedom have declared today, September 12, #StandWithSears Day. The group asks that the state medical board closes its case against Sears and “respects the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship.”
I’m a strong proponent for children following the recommended vaccine schedule, yet I recognize the need for exceptions for those who have experienced adverse reactions or are allergic to certain components of vaccines. With that said, I think it’s also important for doctors to follow standard procedure before issuing these medical exemptions. If evidence shows Sears is being negligent — and perhaps putting lives in danger — the state board has every right to pursue a case against him.
Read this article for more information about this case.
Featured photos via Thinkstock
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