Beneficence and Non-maleficence I would like to consider the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence together. Beneficence means to do good and to act in the person’s interest (primo non nocere). Non-maleficence refers to an obligation to avoid doing harm. In other words, there is an ethical obligation to avoid harm, to prevent suffering, to remove suffering and to promote well-being. One can only justify harm where the potential benefit is great. Public Good In all actions concerning children, the primary consideration should be the best interest of the child. But what is the best interest of a child? Vaccination is not without risks. There is a concern that vaccinations are performed on asymptomatic individuals. Even the …show more content…
Parents should have the ‘best interests’ of the child at heart and are therefore entrusted with making the right decisions for the child concerning their health and welfare. The information the parents receive is crucial in informing the choices parents make. However, the concern is that information about potential risks of harm are unlikely to be fairly presented because the information is overwhelmingly focused on the supposed benefits of vaccination, rather than an assessment of both potential risks and benefits. In other words, the potential to act paternalistically is far greater because there is an incentive to promote what doctors see as the patient’s best …show more content…
Vaccination programmes serve a public interest, but this does not imply that everyone will receive equal benefits. It is inevitable that some people will benefit more than others. There is an ethical cost when the vaccinated child bears the burden of vaccination, and those who do not vaccinate "free ride" on the immunity of others. Ironically, the same group that do not vaccinate also bear the risks of infection. In Australia, various allowances and rebates (e.g. maternity immunisation allowance, childcare assistance and childcare rebate) are withheld from families whose children are vaccinated. This tactic of restricting a benefit seeks to induce parents to comply with the programme rather than to penalise unimmunised children. Are such measures fair to families of lower socio-economic status? In the United States of America, there is a policy of "no immunisation - no school”. When the parent decides not to vaccinate a child, is there any justice in punishing a child by exclusion from
The main reason paternalism is even debated revolves around one primary question: Is it beneficial to the patient? This one question has, and will continue to evoke strong responses from those who hold viewpoints across the spectrum. The spectrum varies from those who are in favor of paternalism, to those who think it should only be allowed if certain criteria are met, to those who strongly oppose it in any form at any time, but may consent to a few, rare occasions when it would be deemed acceptable. One such person who strongly opposes paternalism is Alan Goldman, and he presents his argument in an article entitled, “The Refutation of Medical Paternalism.”
The effectiveness of vaccinations continues to be proven (Malone and Hinaman n.d.). For example, after development of the measles vaccine and the implementation of the vaccination program, the number of reported measles cases declined from 57,345 in 1977 to 2587 in 1984( CDC 2010 ). However, even though vaccinations have been proven safe and effective; there are still risks as well as the implication that not every person who is vaccinated will obtain immunity. That being said, serious damage from vaccination is a rare occurrence (Malone and Hinaman). A Glanz study (2013) from the Vaccin...
“Vaccinations are causing a major upsurge in childhood diseases, adult maladies, and even deadly ailments such as Gulf War Syndrome and Lou Gehrig’s disease” (Blaylock). Every now and then an individual’s doctor calls telling them about the latest vaccine they should receive. The person immediately schedules a time to come in and get it done. But do they even give a second thought about it? Have they ever thought that maybe they do not need another vaccination? Many people have not taken the time to seriously think about the process of immunization. The truth is, there are many dangers that the average person should be unaware of. Rarely do vaccines actually accomplish what the public has been told. In fact, a lot of vaccines contain harmful substances that have been linked to disorders such as autism. The lack of education and dishonesty from doctors are putting people in danger of health problems without even realizing. Many parents feel obligated for their children to get vaccinated because of school, not knowing they have the alternative option of refusing immunization.
Each day researchers are finding out about vaccines and are realizing that there are a lot more risks than benefits. Dr Phillip F. Incao explains: “Today, far more children suffer from allergies and other chronic immune system disorders than from life-threatening infectious disease. It is neither reasonable nor prudent to persist in presuming that the benefits of any vaccination outweigh its risk” (qtd in Spaker). While infectious diseases are becoming uncommon there is no need for any person to get vaccinated. There have been many issues surrounding vaccinations all around the world.
Vaccination was first introduced globally for small pox and later on extended to other communicable diseases which are now known as vaccine preventable disease. Vaccination is beneficial both for individuals and community. This bring us to the ethical dilemma - Vaccination of a healthy child with the intention of protecting both the individual child and the community at the same time exposing the child to the theoretical risk of exposure to disease products whether live, attenuated or killed. There was a time when people never questioned the government or their physicians. Now because of more public awareness and accessibility to medical information, they are questioning the safety aspects of vaccines.
Parents must be forced to vaccinate their children. The detrimental effects of failing to vaccinate a child can be spine chilling for not only your child but you and your loved ones around. Despite our best efforts to keep our children safe, their lives are unhygienic, a proverbial germ fest some might argue. Children must be vaccinated as they are unaware of their surroundings and a vaccination will save their life; only the child’s but also the people around them.
While everyone has their own rights to their bodies and the bodies of their children, that does not mean that what they think is best for themselves or their children is best for the rest of the population they come into contact with. The majority of people associate vaccinations to babies and children under a certain age, but young adults and elders fall into the category of needing vaccinations. There is currently no federal law requiring adults or children to be vaccinated. Many positives come out of vaccinations to not only the individual, but also to the people they come in contact with. Currently there is an ongoing debate on whether or not vaccinations are safe and if they cause certain disorders in children. The risk of not getting
One of the major criticisms of mandatory vaccinations is the shift of balance in autonomy and choice versus the protection of the public (Anomaly, "Public Health and Public Goods"). I can see how from a Kantian perspective that mandatory vaccinations could be using people as mere means for the greater good of the public health, but when one’s individual rights and choices endanger my personal safety there needs to be some regulation. The idea of herd immunity may follow from a utilitarian framework that vaccinations bring about the greatest possibly good and minimize harm and ultimately maximize the happiness of the public, but it is a practice that promotes the health of our future generation. Individuals against mandatory vaccinations argue against the need for vaccinations due to the potential harmful side effects they may result in. The fear driving what vaccinations contain is based off misinterpreting data. The CDC provides great amounts of knowledge of the potential and tolerable side effects of vaccinations. Another major argument against mandatory vaccinations is the cost. Like mentioned above the vaccines that are currently required to go to school are measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Polio, Whopping Cough, Diphtheria, Varicella, Hepatitis B and Hib, which can be a costly doctor visit. The likelihood that these vaccines will no longer be mandatory for school-aged children is
This article focus on a document publishes in the Canadian Paediatric Society website, which can help council hesitant parent that refuse to vaccine their children due to safety concern. This article use research information and premeditated steps to exemplify the issue surrounding the use of vaccine on children. Research shows that health care provider has a major influence on parental decision. In addition, Doctors should take into consideration and understand parent’s specific concern, by taking the time to explain the evidence so the hesitant parents will have a better understanding and this will determine whether a child get immunize. The information that present in the article comes from the “CPS” Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee, which is research and educational source. This article provide a clear information on what can happen if a child is not vaccinate, due to the facts that parents believe if their child is healthy and strong that they will disease free. However, most parents based their information on what they heard on the media and internet for example, that vaccine cause autism, there is no prove that it does, however things like that will make any parents not want to vaccine their child. There are consequences of a parent not having their child. In Ontario if a child is not immunize they are, not allowed in the school system, this is due to the risk that may occur. For example, a child who is vaccine, but may have a low immune system will mostly like catch whatever disease or bacteria when he encounters that specific chi...
Many people come to the United States of America in order to live freely and make choices based on their personal morals. Considering the fact that America is known for being the “land of the free”, people should be able to choose whether or not they want to get vaccinated. People should have the right to reject vaccinations for whatever reason it may be, whether it’s religious beliefs, health concerns, or lack of belief in the vaccination systems. Personally, Vaccinations have benefited me and my health, and I choose to get vaccinated. I choose to get vaccinated because I strongly believe in a way it helps build my immune system and keeps me from getting sick or catching diseases. However, people have different beliefs than mine. Therefore
By relinquishing the right of adults to choose whether they get vaccinated or not, the government is devaluing the individual, in essence, the government is putting the collective ahead of the group, this concept is a key foundation in democratic centralism, better known as Communism. Individual rights was a huge basis on the foundation of the US(US Constitution), denying the rights of the individuals to chooses whether they get or not, breaks this foundation(Darrell). Requiring vaccination also brings many issues into play, such as making the time to take all the vaccinations, and many vaccinations can’t be taken all at once, and this results in them breaking their normal schedule. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a former ophthalmologist, agrees while vaccines are a wondrous thing, but freedom should not be compromised in the sake of universal vaccination(Rand
Disabled children require extensive care and the parent is trying to avoid this by creating a healthier child. It also applies to parents who want to fulfill desires such as having a smart child or athletic kid. These acts violate the imperative. The parents are treating their child as if they are less of a child and more of an object. In this sense, it instrumentalizes the child because of the selection of traits that are made.
... Tarrant and Thomson (2008), parents readily admitted that they had knowledge discrepancies in regards to childhood vaccines but believed that the benefits of immunization overshadowed any risks that might be present. The biggest source of information for these parents was family members and peers. Along with this information wide-ranging public health programs and mandatory vaccination requirements for school entry made certain that childhood immunization recommendations were followed.
How would you feel if the right to choose to vaccinate your child was taken away? What if after the child received their vaccinations they contracted a serious illness or even died from the vaccinations? There are many cases that have shown adverse reactions in children who have had regular or mandatory vaccination series throughout their lives. Throughout our lives, we are introducing foreign particles and chemicals into our body by receiving the vaccinations that are mandated by our jobs or school. These vaccinations start from the time we are born and continue until the day that we die. Not only are we not allowing our body to build an immunity on it’s on, but we are also traumatizing our children by making them receive shots on a routine basis. There are many reasons that vaccinations should not be mandatory, but the most important are the number of vaccinations, ineffectiveness, and side effects.
According to World Book Advanced Encyclopedia, immunization is defined as the process of protecting the body against disease by means of vaccines or serums (Hinman). While medical science backs up the efficiency and necessity of vaccines, within the past decade, a rise in parents disbelieving the medical community and neglecting to immunize their children has occurred. This “fear of vaccines” is nothing new, but with the ever-increasing safety of vaccines, the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks. Parents who refuse to vaccinate, or anti-vaxxers, put more than their children’s lives on the line, but also risk the safety of the whole community. Because vaccines are essential to protecting individuals and communities