Jim Carrey Condemns 'Fascist' Vaccination Law

Comedian Jim Carrey has labelled California Governor Jerry Brown a "corporate fascist" after he signed into law one of the strictest immunisation programmes in the US.

The measure, which requires nearly all public schoolchildren to be vaccinated, follows an outbreak of measles at Disneyland late last year.

The bill makes California the third US state, after Mississippi and West Virginia, to eliminate religious and other personal exemptions to vaccinations for children.

Doctors, hospital representatives and health advocates welcomed Tuesday's law, saying it would help stop the spread of disease.

But Carrey expressed outrage in a series of tweets.

"California Gov says yes to poisoning more children with mercury and aluminium in mandatory vaccines," he posted.

"This corporate fascist must be stopped."

Opponents of the mandate say pharmaceutical companies are behind the push to vaccinate children.

Carrey added: "They say mercury in fish is dangerous but forcing all of our children to be injected with mercury in thimerosal is no risk. Make sense?"

The comedian has been an immunisation activist since his relationship with model Jenny McCarthy, who blames her son's autism on the jabs.

But Carrey insisted on Twitter he was not anti-vaccine.

"I am anti-thimerosal, anti-mercury," he said. "They have taken some of the mercury laden thimerosal out of vaccines. NOT ALL!"

Carrey also turned his fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has made clear there is no link between vaccines and autism.

The comedian branded the leading US public health institute "corrupt", adding "it's too risky to admit they have been wrong".

However, Gov Brown, a Democrat, wrote as he signed the legislation: "While it's true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community."

Parents have protested in their thousands against the bill at the state Capitol in recent weeks.

The opponents - who are vowing to pursue legal options - say the state is usurping parental rights.

The bill was introduced after December's Disneyland outbreak infected more than 100 people in the US and Mexico .

It passed with bipartisan support and takes effect next year.