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should child vaccinations be mandatory
negative effects of vaccination
should child vaccinations be mandatory
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On the other side of the argument should the state be allowed to tell a parent what drugs they must administer to their child, especially when vaccines are known to contain harmful chemicals. Though it is possible to get vaccine exemptions, this is easier said than done, according to Kurt Link MD, “less than two percent of people who apply for a vaccination exemption obtain one” (qtd. in Null and Feldman). Although all states allow medical exemptions, this process is time-consuming and not always a possible solution. To illustrate, according to the government guidelines one way a child would receive a medical exemption is if they had a severe or life-threatening reaction to a certain vaccine. However, most children would never have been exposed to the chemicals found in vaccines so it would be impossible for parents to know beforehand if their child would react badly to the vaccine. Nonetheless, to prove that your child would have a severe reaction to vaccines, the child would first have to receive it to show it reacted badly. Therefore, this process somewhat defeats the purpose and may lead to irreversible consequences. Further downsides to receiving exemptions are that parents may have a hard time getting their child into certain schools, and pediatricians have been known to deny care to an unvaccinated child (Null and Feldman).
One argument in support of vaccines is that once received, the child’s immune system is strengthened, and the next time the child comes into contact with that particular disease he/she will be able to fight against it. However, studies have shown that disease outbreaks still occur in fully vaccinated areas. Dr. William Atkinson, an epidemiologist for the CDC, when examining a large measles outbreak, admi...
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...e this potentially risky decision after weighing the pros and cons. Parents, not the state, are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of this decision. On the other side of the debate, vaccine supporters contribute the success of diseases being at their lowest point to mandatory vaccinations. Furthermore, they believe if vaccines were no longer mandatory many deadly diseases would reappear. They do attest that though serious side effects might occur from vaccinations, this likelihood is so rare that it outweighs the risks. Overall, the state can not assure a parent that vaccinating their child is not unlike playing Russian roulette; all they can assure is that the chances of your child being the one to get the bullet are rare. Perhaps in the words of Albert Einstein, “Never do anything against conscience, even if the state demands it” there is wisdom.
There is a war going on against parents that refuse to vaccinate their children. It is coming from the government that makes and enforces laws requiring parents to vaccinate their children, hostile parents of vaccinated children, and doctors that refuse to see unvaccinated children. They are concerned about the potential health risk unvaccinated children pose to the public. These parents aren’t lunatics but are concerned parents that are trying to make the best choice for their children. In fact, these parents aren’t fighting alone; a number of pediatricians and medical experts are apart of this crusade and have taken the lead. They will tell you there is an agenda, “Vaccine manufacturers, health officials, medical doctors, lead authors of important studies, editors of major medical journals, hospital personnel, and even coroners, cooperate to minimize vaccine failings, exaggerate benefits, and avert any negative publicity that might frighten concerned parents, threaten the vaccine program and lower vaccination rates.” 4
The article “People Should Not Be Allowed to Refuse Vaccination” focuses on the dangers people who choose not to vaccinate are opening to others. The argument stems from the ease with which disease can spread through an unvaccinated community and the threat this poses to those who cannot vaccinate. Because of this danger the author of the article believes vaccination should not be left to choice, but required for the good of public safety.
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...
Many people believe that medical decisions for children should be left up to the parents or the child’s legal guardian. “ If the state can tag, track down, and forced citizens against their will to be injected with biological products of known and unknown toxicity today, there will be no limitation which individual freedoms that state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow.” (Barbara Low Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center)
Recently high population of unvaccinated children on the West Coast has led to outbreaks of whooping cough and the measles amongst children as discussed in articles by Alexandra Sifferlin and Dan Diamond. Part of what has caused the outbreaks, according Sifferlin, is that unvaccinated children transmitted the diseases to children who are unable to receive vaccinations because of age, illness (particularly autoimmune disorders) and other health conditions). Typically children who are unable to be vaccinated are protected by the concept of herding. Herding, the idea that if most or all people who are healthy enough to receive vaccinations are vaccinated, then those who cannot be vaccinated, are protected from getting
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.
Most of the time parents take decision for a minor, even in the worst scenarios their decisions are always for the best interest of the child. Parental autonomy should always be respected unless the child is at greatest risk for not getting the vaccine.
The fact that parents see’s vaccinations as a choice makes me think why do they see vaccinations as a “bad” thing. Then I realized just maybe some parents don’t know anything about vaccinations and prefer that they don’t put a unknown source in their baby, or maybe they are just given wrong information by other parents that don’t believe that infants should get vaccinated. I believe that every single parent should to a pediatrician/ or family doctor and ask them all the questions the have on vaccinations because at least they will get the right
America looks at disease as a war. Illness is the enemy, vaccinations are the weapons, and the unfortunate cost is that some innocent civilians may lose their lives. A vaccine is a substance used to provide immunity against a disease. In some cases, vaccines have done more harm than good. Ignoring this fact, vaccines are mandatory in every state, and some states are trying to take away the parent’s right to deny them. The disadvantages, diseases, and disabilities caused by vaccines justify the parent’s right to decide against the risk of vaccination.
The American people have rights, and one of those rights is to decide what we want administered into our bodies. I think it is very important to educate others on the risks of vaccines so that they can decide what is fit for them. I also want to bring awareness to the difficulties people face to keep vaccines out of their bodies and their children’s bodies. It should not be a struggle. We have rights to our own bodies and we should not be treated any differently for choosing not to vaccinate. I do not get the flu shot, nor do I get every new shot thrown my way by doctors, and I am perfectly healthy. In fact, I rarely get sick. I depend on natural immunity and other natural means for my health, and that works great. (“Vaccines ProCon.org.”) Barbara Low Fisher, Co-founder of National Vaccine Information Center, stated, "If the State can tag, track down and force citizens against their will to be injected with biological products of known and unknown toxicity today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the State can take away in the name of the greater good
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
Vaccinations have significantly reduced the disease rate throughout the world. Usually, vaccines prove to be between 90 and 99 percent effective. This reduces disease and mortality rate by thousands every year (Jolley and Douglas 1). On average, vaccines save the lives of 33,000 innocent children every year (“Vaccines” 1). In addition, if a vaccinated child did contract the vaccine’s targeted illness, that child would, in general, have more mild symptoms than an unvaccinated child that contracts the same illness. These vaccinated children will have less serious complications if they do contract the disease; they will be much more treatable, and have a lower risk of death (Jolley and Douglas 2). The risks of not vaccinating greatly outweigh the small risks of vaccination. Diseases like measles and mumps can cause permanent disability. While there i...
Vaccinations are not as dangerous as people make them seem, but not getting vaccinated is. Frances Childs states that “as the number of children who have not been immunized increases, so, too, does the likelihood of measles spreading”. Immunizations work by injecting a small amount of the virus into the patient (both children and adults). The patient’s immune system then builds up antibodies to fight against the virus, thus building immunity against the disease much more effectively. Vaccinations have a 90-100 percent chance of success.
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
Those who choose not to vaccinate their children are endangering the health of those unable to be vaccinated themselves, such as infants, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised, by jeopardizing community immunity. According to vaccine.gov, a federal government website managed by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, community immunity or “herd immunity” occurs when “a critical portion of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak” (Community Immunity). An infographic featured in an NPR article entitled “How Vaccine Fears Fueled the Resurgence of Preventable Diseases” illustrated the rise in measles cases in Western Europe and of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the U.S (Doucleff). In the first eight months of 2014, there were eighteen measles outbreaks, and six hundred cases of measles.