On Vaccines for More Birthdays
Commentary, Truthiness Comments (1)
I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts. -Abraham Lincoln
In my short life I have had the standard number of birthdays for my age as many other people. But there are people who’s birthdays are threatened by a lack of vaccinations. In America, there is a growing group of families who are refusing to get vaccinations for many child hood diseases, availing themselves of the once religious exemptions. That is to say most of the exemptions used to be religion, now they are willful.
A parent is dedicated to doing everything they can for their child, at least normal parents are, yet, how can they refuse them vaccinations that we know prevent childhood disease. This is because of something else, a growing sense amung people that autism (and other things) is caused by or is linked to these diseases.
To dismiss these feelings and shove evidence at people has never worked yet people do it. Not to mention evidence is just the currently most accepted scientific acceptable fact. I could go into all the old principles that were reversed, but that’s not the point. You heard me, the reversal is not the point. Science lives to be tested. It must be tested. Absolutely steadfastly believing that there is no link “because science says so” is doing a disservice to these parents. Let us say instead there has shown to be no scientifically acceptable link so far.
As I explain in another post, it’s not uncommon for humans to have a gut feeling about something. Usually their gut feelings are applying a grenade to carve a turkey. It may take years to separate environmental, chemical, hell even past nuclear testing and even sun spots; but let us focus in on that gut feeling, and let’s get this debate out of the way quickly and get these children vaccinated.
As for parents, if you are thinking about not giving your children vaccines, give it careful consideration anyway. Chose at least the deadliest, or the ones that would leave your child disabled for life and eliminate those; a little advise from someone who has had the dreaded pox twice, but is grateful for never having had polio.
I like birthdays after all. The more the merrier.
OceansOfThought @ March 26, 2008
The surprise in this rash of non-vaccinations is that the numbers of “conscientious objectors” is rising among otherwise educated and successful people, i.e. “the privileged few”. Doctors will tell you that abstaining from these shots is okay, because the vast majority of people still have their children vaccinated, as such the diseases are far less likely to travel and infect unvaccinated children. This is really just another aggravating example of the rich riding on the backs of the poor. After all, poor children are expendable right? Let them suffer any medicinal side effects while my special child reaps the benefit without the risk.
For the record, I am a team player; my children are both up to date on their shots.