Genelly1

SkylerGenelly
Ms.Gardner
English10H/Period4
6May2016
VaccinatingChildren:ADecisionBasedonFactorFiction?
IntheUnitedStates,
asmanyas2.1millionchildrendonotrecievetimelyvaccinations
becauseofholesinthepublichealthsystem,accordingtoAmyPisani,executivedirectorof
EveryChildByTwo(Thompson).Whatisthedeepholeallowingchildrentoskipvital
vaccines?Philosophicalexemptionsaretheanswer,allowingparentstoopt
outofvaccinating
theirchildrenbasedonpersonalbeliefs.Vaccinesstandasapreventionfordiseasesandan
increasedimmunesystem.Assoonasaninfantsimmunesystemdevelops,mostdoctors
recommendthechildgetvaccinated.Thenumberofparentschoosingtoprohibittheiryouth
fromvaccinesforvariousreasonshasgrown.Theyfeelitistheirrightasparentstomakethe
decisionregardingwhichshots(ifany)theirchildrenshallreceive.Unvaccinatedchildrenput
thehealthofthemselvesandthepublicatlargeatrisk,inadditiontocreatingaresurgenceof
dangerousdiseasesourpublichealthofficialsoncethoughttheyhaderadicated,likemeaslesand
whoopingcough.Parentsshouldnothavetherighttodecreeiftheirchildshouldnotbe
vaccinatedbasedonpersonalbeliefs:theirdeterminantissometimesbasedonlittle,or
fraudulent,information,theunvaccinatedchildrenaremorelikelytocontractdiseasestypically
preventablebyvaccinations,andthemaintenanceofherdimmunitycouldsufferordeteriorate
becauseofsuchpoordecisionmaking.


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Someparentsbelieveamultitudeofsafetyconcernsandunknownharmslinkedwith
vaccinationsthemostprevailingbeingautism.AccordingtoMaryJoPerry,codirectorof
MississippiParentsforVaccineRights,
Vaccinerisksaredifferentforeachchildbecausewe
arenotallthesame,anddoctorscannotpredictwhichchildwillbeharmed.Inflexiblevaccine
mandatesthreatenthehealthofthosechildren(Perry).Parentsdonotwanttoputtheirchilds
healthatriskbecauseoftheunknownreactionsfromvaccines.
Manyalsoarguethevaccines
haveasubstantialamountofpoisonouschemicalswhichcouldharmtheirchildren.Boththe
CentersforDiseaseControl(CDC)andtheFood&DrugAdministration(FDA)published
documentsstatingthemassiveamountoftoxinsfoundinvaccines.ShaneEllison,anauthorwho
hasamastersdegreeinorganicchemistry,writestherearedozensofchemicals,heavymetals,
andallergens...numerousobjectionableingredients,suchasmonkeykidneycellsandaborted
fetaltissue...andmanyvaccinesarealsospikedwithantibioticslikeneomycin...(Ellison).
Someparentsdonotwanttointroducetheirchildrentotheseperniciousingredientshowever,
thisdecisionprocessrisksexposingtheirchildrentopotentiallyfatal,yetavertablediseases.
Whileitistruemanyoftheelementswithinvaccineshavenoxiouseffectsatlargedosesthat
exceedrecommendedstandards,theminisculeamountsfoundintheactualvaccinesdonot
imposeathreattotherecipient,andnofactualevidencehaslinkedautismtothechemicalsinside
ofvaccines.Therewasevenastudyconductedinwhichfourunvaccinatedchildrenwithautism
hadextremelyhighmetalliclevels(i.e.Mercury),provingonedoesnotneedtobeexposedtothe
componentsofvaccinesinordertohavedangerousmetalsinsideofthemandpossessautism
(Mercola).Sowhilethereisanoccasionalallergicreactionornegativeresponsetovaccinations


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bychildren,aparentshouldnotencompassthechoicetoelectoutofhavingtheirchildbeing
vaccinatedbasedonpseudoscience.
Manyparentsstandbytheirideologythatvaccinatingtheirkidsisnotnecessarilyneeded
tohelpwiththemedicalwellbeingoftheirchildren,anddonotalwayscomplywiththeir
doctorsdirectives.Nevertheless,themedicalinformationparentsbasetheiropinionsonis
nonproven,withnophysicalevidencebackingthereasonstheyclaimtohesitatewhenitcomes
tothevaccinationsoftheirchildren.JoshLevs,anAmericanbroadcastjournalistforCNN,
reportstheparentsmostlikelytooptoutofvaccinatingtheirkidsareusuallyaffluent,
nonHispanicwhite,marriedcouplesinEnglishspeakinghouseholds,learned,andcovered
byprivatehealthinsurance(Levs).
Sowhydosuchknowledgeablepeopleskepticalofthevaccines?Manypeoplethinkthey
aremoreastutethandoctorsbecauseofthehighereducationlevelofyoungparents(Why
MoreParentsAreRejectingVaccinations:4Theories).Dr.PaulOffit,thechiefofInfectious
DiseasesattheChildrensHospitalofPhiladelphia,commentedonhowmostparentsarenot
medicallyeducatedsotheirdecisionsarebeingmadenotonlyonfalsebeliefsofvaccinesafety,
butalsofalsebeliefsoncontagiousdiseaseandtransmission(qtd.inWhyMoreParentsAre
RejectingVaccinations:4Theories).Parentsmakeadecisionthat,whilebasedontheirmoral
beliefs,maynotreflectthewantsoftheirchildlaterinlife.Thesechildrendeserveaccesstothe
carewegivethem,expresses
Dr.SoujanyaPulluru,afamilyphysicianinNaperville,They
havetherighttogetmedicalcareirrespectiveoftheirparentschoices(qtd.inSachdev1).
Parentsareunfittomakethedecisionabouttheirchildsvaccinationsbecausetheyarenot
medicalprofessionalswithacompleteunderstandingofalltherepercussionsofvaccines.The


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judgementismadeoffaplethoraoffalseinformationandinsufficientevidenceyetanother
reasonastowhytheydonotqualifytomakethedecisionsregardingtheirchildsvaccinations.
Furthermore,researchshowsbynotvaccinatingchildren,theyaremoreatriskfor
curablediseasescomparedtothosevaccinated.Ninetypercentofmeaslescasessofarthisyear
haveaffectedthosewhoareunvaccinatedorindividualswhowereunsureoftheirvaccination
status,pointedout
Dr.AnneSchuchat,thedirectorofCDC'sNationalCenterforImmunization
andRespiratoryDiseases(Mimms).Ina
NewYorkTimes
articlebyDr.PaulineChen,shenotes,
Studieshaveshownthatunvaccinatedchildrenare35timesmorelikelytocontractmeasles
thanimmunizedchildren(Chen).Theestimateofunvaccinatedchildrencatchingbloodstream
andbraininfectionsisfivetoeightpercentmorelikelythanchildrenwithallvaccines,whose
chancesofhavingthevirusesarelessthan0.001%(McGowan).Diphtheria,arareinfectionin
thenoseandthroatthatavaccinecaneasilyprevent,withnoriskofseriousreaction,was
obtainedbyayoungboywhosefatherchosenottoimmunizehimheeventuallydiedfromthe
disease(CaliforniaImmunizationCoalition).Achildwhoisunvaccinatedismoresusceptibleto
diseasebecausetheydonothavethesameimmunizationachildwithvaccinationsdoes.Asa
result,aparentisnegligentlyputtingtheirchildatrisk,andshouldnotbeallowedtodoso.
Ultimately,parentsshouldnothavetherighttooptoutofvaccinatingtheirchildrendue
toidiosyncraticopinions:theythreatentheherdimmunityofnotonlythecommunityaround
them,butalsotheentirecountry.Herdimmunityoccursinapopulationwhenthemajorityof
thatpopulationisvaccinated,thusprovidingawallofprotectionforthosewhoarenotyetfully
immunized(WhatisHerdImmunity?).Ameaslesoutbreakin2014occurredatDisneylandin
Anaheim,California,spreadbyaseriesofunvaccinatedpeople.Measleswasoncethoughtto


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havebeeneradicatedintheUnitedStates,butthankstotheantivaccinationefforts,itisback.
TheepidemicatDisneylandsickened35people,fourteenofwhichwerechildrenandexpected
tobeunvaccinated(Kaplan).Peoplewhoarenotvaccinatedendangerherdimmunityina
colossalmanner,asthecountryneedsatleast90to95percentimmunitytostopthespreadof
measlesandotherdiseases,butpreferablythegoalis100percentvaccinationcoverage
(
Salath).JeffreySinger,ageneralsurgeon,suggests,Thephenomenonofherdimmunity
allowsmanyunvaccinatedpeopletoavoiddiseasebecausetheyfreerideoffthesignificant
portionofthepopulationthatisimmunized(Singer).RonaldBailey,alibertariansciencewriter
continueswiththesameidea:Evenwhilereceivingthisbenefit,theunvaccinatedinflictthe
negativeexternalityofbeingpossiblevectorsofdisease,threateningthosetenmillionmost
vulnerabletocontagion(Bailey).Whiletheseunvaccinatedpeoplebelievetheirrideisfree,
theyactuallycontributetothepossiblebreakdownofourherdimmunity,anddiseaseslikethe
measlesandwhoopingcoughwillsneaktheirwaybackintopeoplesbodies.Theentirecountry
isbecomingmoreandmoreatriskfortheseavertablediseases,andthereisnothingapersoncan
dotostopitfromgrowingunlesstheygetvaccinated.Therefore,itisinthebestinterestof
communitiesandthecountryforparentstohavetheirkidsvaccinated.
Inconclusion,thereshouldbenooptingoutofvaccinationsbasedondogma
contradictingtheimmunizationofchildren:thepretensesonwhichparentsmaketheir
assumptionsabouttheharmsofvaccinationsarefalse,childrenaremoreatriskforotherwise
easilymaintainablediseases,andtheherdimmunityoftheentirecountryisatriskduetothe
swellingnumberofunvaccinatedpeople.Developingcountries,likeUgandaandNicaragua,
havelittleaccesstovaccines,poorhealthservices,andfamiliesarearemisinformedabout


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whenandwhytobringtheirchildrenforimmunization(WhyAreChildrenDying?).Thereis
anestimated1.5millionunvaccinatedchildrenwhodieeachyearfrompreventablediseasesin
thosecountries(WhyareChildrenDying?).UScitizenshaveanavenueofvaccines,firstrate
healthcare,andexpertdoctors,yetmanychoosenottovaccinatetheirchildrenevenwhen
seeingthemassdestructionsicknesscancausewhenitisspreadintheseThirdWorldcountries.
Allowingparentstochooseiftheirchildshouldbevaccinatedbasedonpersonalbeliefsis
unsafeforthechildbecausemostparentsdonotenvelopthesamemedicalinformationasa
doctorthedecisionbecomesbasedoffofopinionratherthanfact.Therearelawstokeepthe
countrysaferegardingtheuseofweapons,driving,andsexualabuse.Immunizationsin
themselvesarelikelawstomanagepeoplesdefense,butwhenthelawisbroken,detrimental
repercussionscanoccuronamajorscale.Therefore,inordertoensurethesafetyofcitizens
acrossAmericaandthechildrenthemselves,parentsshouldnthaveasayinthedecisionaround
vaccinations,andshouldinsteadconsiderthepublicshealthovertheirfearofthelittleadverse
effectsvaccineshaveonpeople.


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