Should Vaccines Be Mandatory

It’s Wednesday morning and I’m shadowing my physician to get a better perspective on how the medical field works. Patient after patient goes by and I can’t help but notice that some parents are denying vaccines to protect their children from the danger of them. I thought to myself “Shouldn’t these children be receiving vaccines to keep them healthy?” The physician I was shadowing always insisted on giving kids a vaccine and explaining to each parent why their kid needs one. But half the time, parents insisted “no” and were there for checkups or to get advice on their child. A vaccine works by injecting a weak or dead germ of the disease into the body and the body develops antibodies that recognize the disease and destroy it when it enters

It is considered assault to give treatment to a patient who denies consent. It should be a parent right to choose what is best for their child in nearly all aspects of the child’s life. However, vaccines should be required for instances that put other people in danger from one person not having a vaccine. Mobeen Rathore M.D. states that “I don't believe all vaccines should be mandatory in all circumstances for all people. However, vaccines should be mandatory in some situations, for some people to participate in some public and professional activities. If an individual's participation in a particular activity places other members of the public in danger for an infection, then the vaccine, to prevent that infection, should be required if the individual desires to participate in the activity…” The health of everyone can be greatly affected by an individual who does not vaccinate. If the consequences of not vaccinating does not allow them to participate, then it should be stated ahead of time so the parent can make an informed, knowledgeable decision on vaccinating their child. Not being forced to. Interrupting or taking away an individual’s choice is denying someone their freedom. Freedom is one of the most important rights to any citizen. To impose on someone’s freedoms and rights is wrong and should not be considered at

In today’s medicine, where there are benefits, usually, there are risks to account for. Paul Thomas M.D. states “…Despite the fact that vaccines have proven benefits, they also have risks. Some children — especially those who are genetically susceptible — may have adverse reactions to vaccines. These reactions range from mild to severe. I have also seen this in my practice firsthand…” Vaccines are created to benefit children. However, mandating vaccines also mandates risk. If a child ends up receiving a part of the risk from a mandated procedure how does that influence the parent? Or the child for the rest of their life? A child has to live with the consequences of a required medical procedure. Each human on this planet is unique and mandating a procedure that is the same to each unique human is bound to have consequences to specific children. Paul Thomas M.D. continues to state that “…As important as vaccines are, one size does not and cannot fit all when it comes to medicine…” Even though the risk may be small in particular circumstances for each different vaccine, mandating a vaccine that has risk is not ethical and the decision should be left to the