Dr. Robert Sears is one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccination movement — a hero to parents suspicious of childhood immunizations. Having everyone properly immunized, it should be noted, has long been scientifically demonstrated to be crucial in preventing disease outbreaks.

Last week the Medical Board of California announced that it is moving to pull Dr. Sears’ medical license due to serious questions over whether Sears followed sound medical practices when he wrote a note for a 2-year-old boy stating that the child should have “no more routine childhood vaccines for the duration of his childhood.” The medical board said Sears made that conclusion without obtaining even basic medical information before making his recommendation. University of California/Hastings School of Law professor Dorit Reiss has stated: “We’re not just going to stand by and let you give unjustified exemptions and prevent children from being protected from these diseases.”

There are some reasons for a patient to be exempted from a vaccine, like an allergy or illness, but legitimate medical exemptions need to be backed up with evidence, as having even a portion of a population go without immunizations can put that population at risk. Two of the nation’s leading pediatric infectious disease specialists say they cannot think of any reason why a 2-year-old boy should receive a sweeping recommendation against all future vaccines for the duration of his childhood. Read more here.