Immunizations

Oh how I am so tired of this. I'm all for people who want to slow down immunizations with their child. Who really wants to hold down their child so they can get stuck with 4 needles at once? No one. But to not do it? Okay, now we have a problem.

I went to Tilden Park in Berkeley recently (fondly called Bezerkley). It's a hot bed of the "natural" mothering movement and it is not unusual to see older children breast fed, organic snacks and food made by mom's own hands, and smell composting everywhere. The moms were talking about immunizing their children and how they didn't want to do it. And turned to me and asked my opinion.

Let me clarify - I didn't know any of the moms. I'm not from there (we live in Sacramento - which has it's own things about immunizations). They just turned to me and asked.

Here's my response: When mothers of babies in 3rd world countries will walk for a while to get immunizations; when not immunizing my child could cause them to come to more harm than the shots - then I am for it. And hey - what did you know, that's what happens.

The moms looked at me with these horrible looks on their face and proceeded to try and change my opinion.

It is not going to happen.

A bill is working its way through the CA Legislature to tighten up the reasons for which you can justifiably refuse to vaccinate your child and still enroll them in public schools. I think it's a good thing. Your child is partaking in a public good - public schools - so you should have to do your part to protect the public health  - immunize your child.

So the diseases that we immunize for are mostly gone - that's great! All anyone has to do is think back to their chicken pox experience and decide that a little stick with a needle is better than a week or more of misery (for both parents and children). Not to mention the risks are very low. The "science" linking the vaccinations with other things (like autism) has been debunked. If you are against them for religious reasons then I don't want to hear that you are also for antibiotics, epidurals during labor, and pediatricians. These are all medical advances that are great -just like vaccines.

My children's generation is going to lose - if it hasn't already - the herd immunity that those who don't vaccinate rely on. That means these diseases could make a come back; the children won't be protected.

Vaccinate your child. Choose the schedule you want to do it on, but vaccinate your child. It is more harmful to them to get the disease than the vaccination.

I know there are people who disagree with me, but that's too bad. If you are for medicine (which most people are, since they take their children to pediatricians), then you should vaccinate. If you are going to use a public good, do your part to protect the public health and vaccinate.

I think it's a good idea to vaccinate your child. Too many people are abusing the exemption that allows them to not vaccinate their child simply because of mistaken beliefs. It should be a religious exemption only - and that should be limited to religions that don't believe in vaccinations or medicine. To say that not vaccinating your child is a personal freedom, you are abusing the concept of personal freedom.

Vaccinate your child!!