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Jennifer Smith
Taylor
English 1010-029
21 April 2015
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate? That is the Question
There is an overwhelming amount of research lately about the question of whether or not
vaccinations are safe for our children and it seems like each time I take my kids for a well-child
check-up, there is a new vaccine for them to take. This question became a deeply personal one a
few years ago when my then 13 year old son was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, a mild
form of Autism. We knew he had problems since childhood. Could the overwhelming amount of
chemicals being pumped into his bloodstream since infancy have caused this? My brother and
his wife have taken a strictly no vaccine at all for their children stance. As a chiropractor, he
believes in a strictly holistic approach to healing and will not put any vaccine into his children. I
had not really done any research myself into the question, only thought about it passingly when
Tyler was diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum. I now believe that you should delay vaccinating
children until at least the age of 2 years old because an infant relies on their mothers immune
system, is too little to absorb the chemicals of vaccines, and vaccines are just not reliable enough
compared to the risk they pose.
Infants carry the antibodies of their mothers through at least the first three months of their
life. It can be extended through the first year of life if the mother breastfeeds (Challa 88). The La
Leche League reports that human milk has been found to contain 90 different oligosaccharides
forming over 900 different chemical structures, each of which can block infection by preventing
a particular strain of bacteria from sticking to the gut wall. With these sort of protections in

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place, there is no need for the infant to receive vaccinations. They are already protected for at
least the first year of life through the benefits the mother has given them.
Infant bodies are much too small to absorb the amount of chemicals that are in the
vaccines they are given. Dr. Carolyn Dean pointed out in her article Mercury Poisoning that by
the age of six months, the average child received 187.5 micrograms of mercury; by two years
237.5 micrograms. She showed how the two month dose is over 30 times the recommended
daily maximum exposure, with babies of the smallest weight category receiving almost three
months worth of daily exposures on a single day. Dean also mentions how Mercury cannot be
eliminated from the body but migrates to the brain, builds up in tissues, and crosses the bloodbrain barrier. Structural damage to the brain and biological damage to neurons and mitochondria
are identical in autism and mercury toxicity (Dean). Is there any wonder that Autism rates have
skyrocketed? We are pumping these little babies bodies full of mercury and they have no way to
process or eliminate it. Babies do not need these chemicals put into their bodies when they are
helpless to manage them.
Vaccines are risky, and because of this, delaying vaccines is a valid option for parents.
Vaccine manufacturers acknowledge these hazards in their product inserts, they are documented
in various studies, the federal governments Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
substantiate them, and they are confirmed anecdotally by parents (Miller). Tens of thousands of
cases of adverse reactions are reported to VAERS every year. Likewise, you can find hundreds of
reports of parents with children who have had life threatening reactions to vaccinations, even
some who have caused death. With these reports, why would anyone want to subject such tiny
bodies to such harmful chemicals?

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Vaccinated children are still susceptible to the disease. While I concede that the effective
rating of vaccines is high, protection is not lasting, requiring booster doses. Miller also points out
that studies indicate that childhood diseases can have a favorable effect on the childs immune
system. When children overcome illnesses on their own, their immune systems are stimulated:
they build resistance to other diseases in later life. For example, several studies show that women
are less likely to develop ovarian cancer if they have had mumps in childhood. With this
information, it is easy to see why delaying vaccines might be beneficial. It gives the child time to
build up their own immune system. It also requires that they receive less boosters in the future,
as they have received fewer initial doses.
I know there are many out there who would argue that letting a child suffer through an
illness that could be prevented is cruel. My oldest daughter contracted chicken pox at 10 months
old, before the varicella vaccine was available. It was horrible, watching her suffer through that.
But she made it through it and has no ill effects from it. There are millions of children who have
done the same.
I acknowledge that there are many children whose immune system could not handle such
attacks and would be hospitalized or killed from such diseases. There are always exceptions to
the rule. In cases of extreme immune deficiency, I would of course advocate for vaccines to ward
off any likely problems for that child. But in most cases, where the child is healthy, delaying
vaccines is the safe and effective route to go.
I also recognize that Dean reports since 1999, vaccine manufacturers have voluntarily
stopped using the mercury-containing thimerosal preservative. However, Dean goes on to report
that flu vaccines still contain mercury and are being recommended for the general population,
including children. And as Miller reports, there are many other harmful chemicals that are still

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causing reportable side effects such as diabetes, thrombocytopenia (a serious blood disorder),
arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome (paralysis), and death. I am not willing to risk these side
effects on a tiny infant.
There are also going to be those who argue that not every mother is going to breastfeed
their child and so they will not receive the benefit of their mothers antibodies for up to a year. I
accept this fact and still say that they receive the benefit of their mothers antibodies for up to
three months just by birth. Babies are strong. As long as they are relatively healthy, let them
continue to build their immune system by not pumping them full of artificial chemicals. If they
happen to get sick with one of the diseases that a vaccine could prevent, then they will be able to
build natural immunity to it, making them even stronger.
I know that this is a very polarizing topic. There is a lot of research out there. Even
yesterday, while writing this, a new study came out about the effects of vaccines related to
autism. New information is coming out every day. In the end, it comes down to the safety of the
child. These artificial chemicals are not safe to be putting into a small child or infant. They are
not equipped to handle them. As long as they are reasonably healthy, let them build their own
immunities and delay vaccinations until they are old enough to handle the chemicals that are put
into these shots. They will have a healthier immune system in the long run if we protect them
when they are small.

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Works Cited
Challa, Shekhar. Probiotics for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. Print.
Dean, Carolyn. "The Politics of Mercury Poisoning In Autism." Total Health 27.1 (2005): 2628. Alt HealthWatch. Web. 7 Apr 2015.
Miller, Neil Z. Given the Risks, Vaccinations Should Not Be Mandated. Should Vaccinations
be Mandatory? Ed. Noel Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt from 7
Reasons Schools Should NOT Mandate Vaccines. Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute,
2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Apr 2015