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arguments for and against mandatory vaccinations
mandatory vaccine policy argument
mandatory vaccine policy argument
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Autism rates in the United States have been rising since the 1980s. In 1985 autism prevalence was 1 in 2,500, ten years later it jumped to 1 in 500, and today it is an astonishing 1 in 68 children. More and more researchers and doctors are raising red flags as they see more evidence that this epidemic is related not only to environmental, food, and water toxins, but specifically to those in vaccinations. In 1995, the immunization schedule for children had 19 vaccinations before the age of 16. In 2001, that number is now 28 before the age of 18. Following the 2016 schedule, a child can receive up to 72 vaccinations if they have all the doses of the vaccines, all the boosters, and a double-dose of the annual flu shot done. While the state of …show more content…
Thanks to controversial laws like SB 277 in California, people are literally losing control over their own bodies. Autism Rates in California are Up in One Year after SB 277 Law Passed The state of California passed its controversial mandatory vaccination law (SB 277), which removed personal and religious reasons from the list of being exempt from vaccinations, with the goal of increasing vaccination rates. In 2016 the rates of autism in California public schools jumped 7% in general, but rose especially high for kindergarten kids – by 17%. As the Sacramento Bee reported, the number of kids diagnosed as autistic has risen seven-fold since 2001. Increases have come each year, but in 2016 following the mandatory vaccination law, the rate jumped even higher than usual: a total of 6,368 additional cases were reported from the previous school year. Comparing the 2013-2014 school year to 2014-2015, the number of additional cases was 6,076. The school year prior to that saw an increase of 6,089; or 13 extra cases reported compared to the increase in ’14-15 (see the Bee article here for more …show more content…
While nationwide, 1 out of 68 kids are autistic, the number is now more than 1 out of 65 kindergarten kids in California public school. Children May Be in More Danger Having to Catch Up to the Vaccination Schedule. When SB 277 went into effect, many parents with young children who were behind the vaccination schedule or did not start vaccinating yet, were forced to catch up or they could longer go to a public school. As a result, many children received a high amount of vaccines in a very short period of time. When it comes to toxins in vaccinations, the more vaccines are given at one time, the bigger the risk that a child will experience a severe adverse reaction. When we hear of a child left disabled or even dead after receiving vaccinations, it is often after receiving multiple vaccines at a time. Matthew passed away shortly after receiving catch-up vaccinations. Source: GoFundMe.com One example occurred when five-month-old Matthew Gage Downing-Powers went to the doctor in October
Studies over the years along with the special vaccine injury tribunal have all agreed that there is no evidence that links autism and the MMR vaccination. Studies also prove that 95% of children who receive their first does of the MMR vaccine between ages 12 months and 15 months develop immunity to all three of the viruses. A second dose is given between four years old and six years old; this second dose gives immunity to almost all who did not respond to the first dose.
Ratzan, S. C. (2010). Setting the record straight: Vaccines, autism, and the Lancet. Journal Of Health Communication, 15(3), 237-239. doi:10.1080/10810731003780714
... you wait, the more likely your child’s immune system will be able to handle the onslaught with minimal damage” (Sarah). I am not suggesting that we return to the days without vaccines. But we must seriously address what appears to be an obvious link between the epidemic of developmental delays, autoimmune diseases, and the increasing number of mandatory vaccines. Every parent should know the advantages as well as the dangers associated with each and every vaccine, each and every time it is given. They should know the positive and negative consequences of refusing that their children be vaccinated, and be made aware of how they can go about getting exemptions. Also-- the government, industry, health-care professionals, and parents must band together to get the research needed to determine the safety of these vaccines. The stakes are too high for us to do otherwise.
"My child fell into autism directly after his 12 month MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine" (Stark). Her son Kieran was developing and acting like a normal child until his MMR vaccines (Stark). After the vaccines, Kieran developed a high fever, lethargic, and extreme diarrhea which eventually led him to be unresponsive, refuse to eat, and became mute (Stark). After 20 months of these symptoms, Kieran was diagnosed with autism (Stark). This parent is just one of millions that experience the same side effects of
Vaccines have been an issue of controversy for most of this short century. Many people speak out against vaccines without doing the proper research. For the greater good of public health, children and adults should be vaccinated against preventable illnesses regularly. There are many reasons to be vaccinated, that will be explained in further detail below. Many people fear vaccinations because of the inactive cells or viruses contained in vaccinations. Other people are afraid that the vast increase in Autism is due to vaccinations. I am able to see that there has been a large increase is Autism but I do not believe that it is due to vaccinations. I won’t begin to speculate on the reason Autism has increased in the last 50 years. Vaccination is used all around the world and there are certain standards that must be met so that all vaccines remain effective and pose minimum risk. Vaccines help your body recognize and fight germs and protect against infection from preventable and deadly diseases. It is important to fully understand how vaccinations work, what makes them effective to ensure your child, receives the best possible care and to ensure a happy, healthy life.
One of the important reasons why parents are concerned about the safety of these vaccines is due to the 1998 theory proposed by British gastroenterologist David Wakefield linking autism to the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Though the Institute of Medicine has already conducted safety review panels since 2001 and rejected any such correlation, parents continue to fear about their children suffering from autism or immune dysfunction due to vaccinations. (American Journal of Public Health, 2008)
The correlation exists because some children developed signs of autism shortly after being vaccinated. However, the only real relationship between the two is the timing of early childhood vaccinations and the first appearance of symptoms of autism (“Top 20 Questions”). Unfortunately, because of this many parents choose not to get their children vaccinated. This leads to many children facing serious illnesses and possibly infecting others, because parents believe the illness is less of a risk compared to ASD even though there is no proof. A 2013 CDC study added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause autism spectrum disorder. The study looked at the number of antigens from vaccines during the first two years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did not have ASD (Knopf). This shows that although it is not a proven fact that vaccines cause autism it is very unlikely. Therefore, parents should ensure that their children are vaccinated because they have nothing to fear. Vaccines are only beneficial to the child's
In conclusion, parents who decide against immunizing their child are not being negligent. There are numerous studies showing the side effects of the vaccination making the parents confused. The intention of these parents is to protect their child from developing unnecessary neurological problems. They may know that immunization is going to decrease the mortality of the children. However, it is the risk they are willing to take to improve the quality of their child’s life. On the other hand, parents who immunized their children and watched them develop autism may feel guilty. Unfortunately, at this point there is not cure for this condition. Living with someone who is developmentally delayed is a life long sentence because the parents always have to worry about who will care for their child when they are gone.
In the Frontline episode The Vaccine War, a progressively distressful debate ensues among many scientists and doctors within the public health system and an unnerving alliance of parents, politicians, and celebrities. The topic of debate is the overwhelming pressure parents feel to vaccinate their children and their right to decline such vaccinations. In several American neighborhoods, groups of parents have been exercising their right to refuse vaccinations, which has elevated anxiety on the return of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis and measles. The reason such parents are denying their children various vaccines such as the MMR “triple shot” for measles, mumps, and rubella is because they are convinced that it is linked to autism, a link that has yet to be proven. Many of these parents are focused solely on their children, not taking into account that their decision may put the American populace at risk for disease. Such parents are not thinking about other members of society that vaccines don’t work for, and in certain adolescents the effects deteriorate, thus only when every person is immunized the “heard immunity” is successful.
In recent years, the correlation between vaccines and autism has become the subject of much debate. On one side, there are the anti-vaccinators, or anti-vaccers. On the other, there’s pretty much everyone else. Despite the fact that the anti-vaccination movement has little base in scientific fact, their campaign to end early infanthood vaccinations rages on. While doctors and scientists try desperately to make parents look at the research studies, vaccination rates continue to fall. But, even in these dark times, there is still hope that scientific fact will prevail and defeat the anti-vaccination fear mongers who have caused many children to fall ill and even die because their parents did not properly vaccinate them. This is one of the most saddening scientific failures of the twenty-first century. A failure to educate the public properly has resulted in child, even infant, fatalities. The anti-vaccination movement was started based on falsified data and continues only because of a lack of knowledge and proper education of the general public.
Those who actively pursue denying the rights of others while trying to further their cause lead to a hatred against their movement. Vaccines, while an important aspect in maintaining proper health they should not be absolutely mandatory. The choice of vaccination should be left to the parents, as it is their right to nurture and care for their kids as they see fit(Anthony). Furthermore, a governmental mandate on vaccination causes many issues, it denies rights to the parents, it denies right to the grown adults and it taxes those who don’t comply. This strategy is not a very American approach, it is a strict mandate, and order then to conform. This goes against the American concepts of individualism(Anthony), this concept is Communist. There are also many circumstances that mandatory vaccination neglects, this includes the civil liberties granted to all citizens by the first amendment, and the equal protection granted by the 13 amendment(US Constitution). There are many reasons why the idea of mandatory
According to The Health Wyze Report, there is an undeniable connection between autism and vaccinations in addition to many others, such as Guillain Barré syndrome, which is permanent paralysis. T Anti-Vaccine Scientific Support Arsenal states, “Andrew Wakefield’s colleague who co-authored the MMR study that linked the MMR vaccine to autism, has been exonerated and his studies have been confirmed (“Vaccines DO Cause Autism-Undeniable Scientific Proof”). Vaccines are supposed to protect people from diseases, but nearly all vaccines lose their effectiveness over time. Sometimes, people become infected by vaccines because of the live viral strands used. They end up getting the exact disease they were seeking protection from. The chances of catching some of these diseases we are vaccinated for are remote and the side effects from the vaccines are so common that it does more damage than good to our bodies. Regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with vaccines, there are side effects. The CDC lists the mild, moderate, and severe side effects of each vaccine. Although rare, sometimes people have adverse effects. For example, the mild risks from the DTaP vaccine include fever, vomiting, soreness/tenderness/redness/swelling where the shot was given, and swelling of the entire arm or leg where the shot was given. Moderate and uncommon problems include seizure, nonstop crying, and high fever.
There have been many issues surrounding vaccinations all around the world. Vaccines are made with dangerous toxins that can cause disorders in many different people. Dr. Joseph says that almost all vaccines are made with immune adjuvant, which causes the immune system to react in a harmful way (qtd. in Garcia). Some serious side effects of the immune adjuvant include lowering of intellectual and sexual abilities and death in serious cases (Garcia). Also, in a recent study Mark Geier and David Geier found that thimerosal in vaccines is linked to neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism. They found...
Vaccines against diphtheria, polio, pertussis, measles, mumps and rubella, and more recent additions of hepatitis B and chicken pox, have given humans powerful immune guards to ward off unwelcome sickness. And thanks to state laws that require vaccinations for kids enrolling in kindergarten, the U.S. presently enjoys the highest immunization rate ever at 77%. Yet bubbling beneath these national numbers is the question about vaccine safety. Driven by claims that vaccinations can be associated with autism, increasing number of parents are raising questions about whether vaccines are in fact harmful to children, instead of helpful (Park, 2008).
Recently the number of parents who are intentionally delaying their children’s general vaccinations is increasing. The controversy that is causing the number of delayed vaccinations to go up is based on the fact that there are negative articles connecting them to autism and other similar diseases. When parents are researching vaccinations and they read those negative articles, those articles make them believe that vaccines cause autism. Vaccines are important because they protect humans from preventable diseases and getting them could save human lives. Vaccines are important throughout life no matter what some research suggests. Parents are now more likely to intentionally delay vaccines because of negative press, even though vaccines