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Immunization is a proven way to prevent hordes of deadly infectious diseases. So, I've never understood the concept of the "personal exemption" from vaccination.
What freedom does someone get by refusing to vaccinate? The freedom to catch and to spread a deadly disease? The freedom to put innocent children who don't know any better at risk of dying or suffering a severe illness? These children who are not vaccinated, do not live on a desert island. They are part of society every time they go to a grocery store, to church, to school.
On the other hand, I would argue that vaccinating children actually gives them more freedom than they had before. They are virtually immune from catching a whole series of diseases that historically caused an enormous amount of mortality and morbidity. They experience greater safety because of this choice. Both the child and the child's family have greater freedom and flexibility because of vaccination.
This is why vaccination should be compulsory and not a choice.
The freedom to decide what one injects into one's own body or the body of their children. Have you read the ingredients in vaccines? Not everyone believes that injecting toxins into one's body is the best way to stay healthy or is even healthy at all. Not everyone will willingly inject substances into their body that defy their religious convictions. There are other ways to take care of one's health. Isn't it ironic that Colorado has one of the highest vaccine exemption rates yet consistently ranks in the top 10 of healthiest states while Mississippi does not allow any philosophical or religious exemptions, has one of the highest rates of vaccination and is consistently ranked as the least healthy state? Why is all of the focus on vaccines? There are so many things we can do to promote public health that are not as controversial or intrusive as forcing people to vaccinate.
You can't put all VPD into the same category as they don't all bear the same risk. As we discussed before things like rotavirus are easy to manage and easy to avoid complications without the vaccine. It's one of many stomach bugs. Why get the vaccine if the symptoms are so manageable? It's not necessary that everyone gets this vaccine. This is just one example of a vaccine where people can and should be able to decide for themselves if it makes sense for them to get it or not. I feel the same way about the flu vaccine, the HPV vaccine, chicken pox, Hep B Vaccine. There is no reason why all vaccines should need to be mandated for all. There is no emergency warranting this type of intervention. People should have the right to choose.
Children are not property of the government, and parents should not be forced to put anything into their children by the government.
Children are not property of their parents, and parents should not be allowed to expose their children to the preventable risk of painful and even fatal illnesses by denying them needed medical care, including vaccinations.
You can't put all VPD into the same category as they don't all bear the same risk. As we discussed before things like rotavirus are easy to manage and easy to avoid complications without the vaccine.
It is true. It's not that difficult to manage. The risk is dehydration from diarrhea. There are lots of stomach bugs that cause diarrhea and rotavirus is the only one that has a vaccine for it. Educating parents on how to ward off dehydration when their baby has a stomach bug and how to spot the signs early so that they can seek help if needed is going to be far more effective in preventing deaths from dehydration then mandating that everyone gets the rotavirus vaccine.
It is true. It's not that difficult to manage. The risk is dehydration from diarrhea. There are lots of stomach bugs that cause diarrhea and rotavirus is the only one that has a vaccine for it. Educating parents on how to ward off dehydration when their baby has a stomach bug and how to spot the signs early so that they can seek help if needed is going to be far more effective in preventing deaths from dehydration then mandating that everyone gets the rotavirus vaccine.
Here is an "uprotected persons" article, by someone who had poo-pooed the rotavirus vaccine, which, I will re-reiterate, IS NOT REQUIRED BY ANY STATE FOR DAY CARE, PRESCHOOL, OR K-12, so maybe we should quit talking about it!
Immunization is a proven way to prevent hordes of deadly infectious diseases. So, I've never understood the concept of the "personal exemption" from vaccination.
What freedom does someone get by refusing to vaccinate? The freedom to catch and to spread a deadly disease? The freedom to put innocent children who don't know any better at risk of dying or suffering a severe illness? These children who are not vaccinated, do not live on a desert island. They are part of society every time they go to a grocery store, to church, to school.
On the other hand, I would argue that vaccinating children actually gives them more freedom than they had before. They are virtually immune from catching a whole series of diseases that historically caused an enormous amount of mortality and morbidity. They experience greater safety because of this choice. Both the child and the child's family have greater freedom and flexibility because of vaccination.
This is why vaccination should be compulsory and not a choice.
It's dangerous to assume others choices are wrong. Without choices you remove the right to look for and correct problems. You remove the right to tailor your families needs.
You have to remember in America first and foremost the medical industry is a business. Withdrawing choices from the American people can be more dangerous than the crisis scenario you paint about deadly diseases. You have no idea if this would be an effective tool for your agenda, it could be the complete opposite.
Should public health officials do everything they can to encourage, inform and facilitate breastfeeding? Yes. Do they have the right to force women to breastfeed? Not in a country that believes in freedom of choice.
"There is tremendous evidence showing vaccinations prevent childhood diseases. Should public health officials do everything they can to encourage, inform and facilitate childhood vaccinations? Yes. Do they have the right to force parents to vaccinate their children? Absolutely not.
An American parent could reasonably decide not to follow the C.D.C.’s current vaccination schedule by choosing to vaccinate on the schedule they use in Norway, which has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. In Norway no childhood vaccinations are routinely given in the first three months of life whereas a 2-month-old American infant has been vaccinated against at least four diseases. At the same time, 99 percent of Norwegian infants are breastfed when they leave the hospital and generous family leave policies facilitate successful (and exclusive) breastfeeding. For an American mom who is exclusively breastfeeding and not putting her child in daycare, following the Norwegian schedule would be a philosophical, evidence-based, demonstrably better choice.
It is a news media-driven misperception that parents who claim philosophical or religious exemptions are uneducated or misinformed. Most parents who individualize the vaccine schedule are actively educating themselves, continually assessing their family’s specific health needs, and doing everything they can to keep their children safe and healthy.
Unlike in the United Arab Emirates, in America we believe parents are capable of making their own decisions about their children’s health. We believe in freedom of choice. This freedom of choice extends to when — and even whether— parents vaccinate their kids."
Here is an "uprotected persons" article, by someone who had poo-pooed the rotavirus vaccine, which, I will re-reiterate, IS NOT REQUIRED BY ANY STATE FOR DAY CARE, PRESCHOOL, OR K-12, so maybe we should quit talking about it!
I think that exemptions from vaccines should be for medical indications only. No one should get to hide in the herd.
No one should get to hide in the herd???
As usual this thread was started for this very purpose. To start a fight as means to convince parents to give up their rights to choose whats best for their own kids. To pit pro vaccine against anti vaccine, and to gather a belittling group against those who don't vaccinate, as to achieve said goal for justifying vaccine mandates.
Even though the majority of parents already make sound medical choices for their kids, whether they vaccinate or not.
There is no medical basis for this hysteria, we have a high vaccination rate in America. As I stated before as others on here have stated: You can vaccinate your children and still be against taking the parental right to choose away. It's not black and white, one side against another.
This is trolling at it's finest. This type of thread usually just ends up getting shut down, as you and Katiana already know. It's not productive.
There are better ways to promote vaccinating. Forcing people to vaccinate is useless and destructive to your cause. Educating people, and easing their fears, and letting them come to their own conclusions would be the right thing to do. IMO, of course.
Checks and balances are important, freedom to make the right choices, and above all freedom to raise your own children. You have the right to protect your children by vaccinating them, after that, you have no more rights. You do not have the right to make others vaccinate. If they don't that's there choice.
I'm afraid your efforts at scaring people into mandating vaccines will prove to do the opposite. You might just drive people who were on the fence about vaccinating away, fearing government control. Fearing this is all a money making venture by lobbying vaccine producers. What if that's all you accomplish?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PoppySead
Oh, so now you can tell by the tone of peoples post whether they vaccinate their kids or not. Wow, you are pretty impressive. Maybe if I had those powers to I would feel I should control others lives.
So you assume the reasons for parents choices as well. Nice, and of course you have secret powers so it's scientific on your end.
And why may I ask is this your agenda? Because your magic?
See, you can promote well being without scaring people with what if's and impending crisis.
I am against mandates. Plain and simple. Isn't that the OP's agenda and yours. Forcing others to vaccinate or risk losing their child's right to a public education.
There are areas of the country where vaccination rates are not high enough to maintain herd immunity. The overall national rate needs to be high, but pockets of population with rates of 50% provide a reservoir that keeps diseases like measles circulating. That is exactly what happened in the UK. Thanks to dear old Wakefield, MMR immunization rates plummeted, and they are only now coming back up. They did indeed have a crisis. Your link did not tell the whole story about the UK. They are now having to have catch up vaccination programs for teenagers who were not immunized in early childhood. The reason that immunization rates are up is that enough kids got sick that parents finally realized that measles can indeed be a scary disease. We would do well to not repeat the UK experience, but easing mandates would get us into the same predicament very quickly. Parents need to stop making bad decisions about vaccines just because it is trendy in their social circle to do so. Deciding to forgo immunization is not a good medical decision unless there is a valid medical contraindication.
The reason that mandates exist is to maintain herd immunity. Without them, some parents would not bother to get the shots. Now, you update your child's shots, then register for school. Mandates are necessary and are not going to go away. It is of interest that when exemptions are harder to obtain than getting the vaccines, philosophical objections seem to diminish.
It's dangerous to assume others choices are wrong. Without choices you remove the right to look for and correct problems. You remove the right to tailor your families needs.
You have to remember in America first and foremost the medical industry is a business. Withdrawing choices from the American people can be more dangerous than the crisis scenario you paint about deadly diseases. You have no idea if this would be an effective tool for your agenda, it could be the complete opposite.
Should public health officials do everything they can to encourage, inform and facilitate breastfeeding? Yes. Do they have the right to force women to breastfeed? Not in a country that believes in freedom of choice.
"There is tremendous evidence showing vaccinations prevent childhood diseases. Should public health officials do everything they can to encourage, inform and facilitate childhood vaccinations? Yes. Do they have the right to force parents to vaccinate their children? Absolutely not.
An American parent could reasonably decide not to follow the C.D.C.’s current vaccination schedule by choosing to vaccinate on the schedule they use in Norway, which has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. In Norway no childhood vaccinations are routinely given in the first three months of life whereas a 2-month-old American infant has been vaccinated against at least four diseases. At the same time, 99 percent of Norwegian infants are breastfed when they leave the hospital and generous family leave policies facilitate successful (and exclusive) breastfeeding. For an American mom who is exclusively breastfeeding and not putting her child in daycare, following the Norwegian schedule would be a philosophical, evidence-based, demonstrably better choice.
It is a news media-driven misperception that parents who claim philosophical or religious exemptions are uneducated or misinformed. Most parents who individualize the vaccine schedule are actively educating themselves, continually assessing their family’s specific health needs, and doing everything they can to keep their children safe and healthy.
Unlike in the United Arab Emirates, in America we believe parents are capable of making their own decisions about their children’s health. We believe in freedom of choice. This freedom of choice extends to when — and even whether— parents vaccinate their kids."
Agree with you once again. It is interesting to see Norway's schedule compared to the schedule in the US. They don't do varicella or rotavirus vaccines. Hep B is only reserved for certain groups, presumably for infants of infected mothers.
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