More handpicked essays just for you.
Arguments to support mandatory vaccination
Arguments for and against vaccinations
Mandatory vaccination ethical issues
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Although autonomy is such a highly sought after aspect of human life, there are times when it is overridden for the good of the person or for others around them. The question of whether autonomy is always the most important factor in determining the morality of an issue must be made. According to Fields, autonomy requires and allows a person to “comprehend the action to be taken, the alternatives, and the consequences,” which is what it does. Nonetheless, there are times when this extent of autonomy may be skewed by beliefs and ideas that may not be entirely accurate. For instance, in the past decade or so, there had been a widespread belief among opposers of mandatory vaccinations and vaccines in general that the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine caused autism in children as a result of a misleading report by Andrew Wakefield of the U.K. Because of Wakefield’s report in The Lancet, which has since been disproven by over 20 various articles and doctors, many parents opted to fight to keep their children from receiving this possible life saving vaccine against these diseases (phd1). Included in this category is celebrity Jenny McCarthy, who used her stardom to strongly advocate against vaccination, as her son was diagnosed with autism, which she attributed to the vaccine due to Wakefield’s publications and other parents (Frontline). This type of negative media for the vaccinations worried many doctors, etc. as more parents could choose to opt out and find ways around getting their children, or even themselves vaccinated (healthfinder.gov). In turn, this could cause damage to the entire framework of the herd immunity and allow not only the child to get sick, but also those around them that may not be able to receive the va...
... middle of paper ...
..."MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism Examine the Evidence!" Panhandle Health District 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. .
Nelson Hernandez - Washington Post Staff Writer. "Get Kids Vaccinated Or Else, Parents Told; Pr. George's Threatens Legal Action." The Washington Post. N.p., 14 Nov. 2007. Web. 5 May 2014.
Rachels, Stuart, and James Rachels. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Serkes, Kathryn. "DOCTORS GROUP VOTES TO OPPOSE VACCINE MANDATES." AAPS. AAPS, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Vargas, Susan T. "THE VACCINE CONTROVERSY." VACCINATION PROTOCOLS. Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Wendy E. Parmet, Informed Consent and Public Health: Are They Compatible When It Comes to Vaccines?, 8 J. Health Care L. & Pol'y 71 (2005).
Palfreman, J. (Director) (2010). The vaccine war [Television series episode]. In Fanning, D. (Executive Producer),FRONTLINE. PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/view/
Kant, Immanuel, and Mary J. Gregor. The Metaphysics of Morals. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996. Print.
Rachels, James, and Stuart Rachels. "7,8,9,10." In The elements of moral philosophy. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. 97-145.
In 1999 a study was done in the United Kingdom to see if there was a link between the two. In this study, researchers compared children had had and had not gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. The study identified four hundred and ninety-eight cases of autism including core autism, atypical autism and Asperger syndrome in children born in the United Kingdom since 1979. There was an increase in cases by year of birth with no change after the introduction of the vaccination. There was also no age difference at diagnosis between the cases vaccinated before or after eighteen months of age and children that were never vaccinated. These results showed no temporal association between the onset of autism within one or two years after being vaccinated with MMR and developmental regression was not clustered in the months after vaccination. The data from these results does not support the connection between MMR and autism and if an association was to occur it was so rare it could not be identified. Many studies have been done over this topic but the results prove that it in fact does not cause autism. It is likely that this myth is strongly accepted because the symptoms of autism begin to occur around the same time as the child is to be vaccinated with the MMR
18. Salmon, Daniel A. and Saad B. Omer, ‘Individual freedoms versus collective responsibility:immunization decision-making in the face of occasionally competing values’, Emerging Themes Epid, 3 (2006):
Through the years, controversy has surrounded vaccinations such as, whether or not they have harmful side-affects, are a government scheme, or simply unnecessary. Parents today have a choice whether or not to vaccinate their children, but should vaccinations be choice? By mandating vaccinations, fewer people are likely to contract diseases. Although vaccines have been subject to scrutiny, vaccines have worked for many years, are not harmful, and use safe ingredients.
Omer, Saad B., Dr. "Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases — NEJM." New England Journal of Medicine. Web. 13 May 2014.
...also be mentioned that many studies worldwide have also concluded that MMR vaccine is not a definite cause of ASD. Did Dr. Wakefield’s research uncover something that could damage the medical industry? It is known that medicine manufacturers conceal harmful evidence from public eye to protect their business. Apart from the decade long debate on MMR being linked to ASD, there are still numerous studies and experiments carried out, that suggests MMR vaccines are a potential cause of Autism.
Almost every child receives a total of fourteen vaccinations before age six. Almost. As discussed in the Frontline episode “The Vaccine War”, some parents choose not to vaccinate their children against diseases such as measles, polio, and whooping cough. The episode, aired on April 27, 2020 and produced and directed by John Palfreman, explores the views of these parents who feel vaccinations are a threat to their child and also the views of medical researchers and government agencies who work to placate the fears of nervous parents.
Cahn, Steven M. and Peter Markie, Ethics: History, Theory and Contemporary Issues. 4th Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Arthur, John, and Scalet, Steven, eds. Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Eighth Edition, 2009.
‘Kantian Ethics’ in [EBQ] James P Sterba (ed) Ethics: the Big Questions, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1998, 185-198. 2) Kant, Immanuel. ‘Morality and Rationality’ in [MPS] 410-429. 3) Rachel, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, fourth edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
Harman, G. (2000). Is there a single true morality?. Explaining value and other essays in moral philosophy (pp. 77-99). Oxford: Clarendon Press ;.
The Anti-Vax Issue 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
...t have thimerosal and autism. It does not make sense that someone that is being vaccinated to help prevent diseases would end up with an intellectual disability, difficulties with motor coordination and attention and physical health issues (Concerns About Austim). The original study that started this debate for years had been retracted. Parents should be more informed and keep up with regarding this situation.