Should Fracking Be Banned

Vaccination Nation

Dr. Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of medical, ethical and scientific misconduct after he published an article stating that there is a connection between autism and vaccinating children. This paper sparked a movement in some parents all across the United States and England to not vaccinate their children. This movement was led by reality TV star Jenny McCarthy, whose son is autistic. McCarthy has since distanced herself from Wakefield and his studies, but the damage has been done. Parents are not allowing their children to be vaccinated and the nation is divided. Some parents have taken advantage of school exemptions to excuse their children from vaccination. “As of the 2004–2005 school year, 19 states allowed for a separate philosophical exemption, in which parents whose personal (apart from religious) beliefs are opposed to vaccination may claim exemption for their child” (Kennedy). Not vaccinating children should be illegal because it puts children at risk, is more expensive for the family, and can cause children to face social implications.

One reason that not vaccinating children should be illegal is that is puts children at risk. The child not being vaccinated is not the only one being put at risk. The entire class is put at risk once that child enters school without the proper vaccinations. Exemptions give parents who do not want their children vaccinated better excuses. “All states allow exemptions for medical reasons, 48 for religious reasons, and 20 for philosophical reasons” (Diekema). Douglas Diekema gives information from the Washington State Department of health, that exemption rates among K-12 students in the 2010-2011 school year ranged from 1.2% to 25.4%. Less than half of these exemptions are thought to be honest to the family’s beliefs. Those who choose not to vaccinate by lying about their reasons for exemption are not only being careless towards their own children but towards other children in the class. Children who have experienced a serious illness as babies or toddlers often are not strong enough to get their vaccinations. These children can still attend school but also rely on the hope that others in their class have had their appropriate shots. “Special groups of people cannot be vaccinated, including those with compromised immune systems” (“The Harm”). When parents decide not to get these shots they are putting children who are easily susceptible to illness at risk. Many parents do not realize the severity that some of these diseases carry. “If it weren’t for vaccinations, many children would become crippled or die from the severity of diseases such as measles, pertussis and Hib” (“The Harm”). Every child should be given the chance to attend school, but every parent should understand that these vaccinations are for their child’s safety and not getting them can have serious repercussions.

Another reason to make vaccinations a legal requirement is that it can save families an enormous of money. Since, unvaccinated children are more likely to get sick their parents have to schedule doctors’ appointments more often and spend more money buying different medicine. Unvaccinated children face a lifetime of repercussions that can and will eventually put them at risk. “Every time you call 911, go to the doctor or visit the hospital emergency room, you must alert medical personnel of your child’s vaccination status so he or she receives distinctive treatment” (“The Harm”). Treatment for unvaccinated children is out of the ordinary and while medical personnel are trained in, it may be something they have not practice on a while making them less experienced in treating the child. Having to get these treated can result in loss of work because parents have to stay with their ill children. “An average influenza illness can last up to 15 days, typically with five or six missed work days” (“Top Reasons”). Having a child who is sick for at least fifteen days, means that a parent or grandparent is now having to take fifteen days out of their lives. For a working class family this can be the difference between paying the bills on time and getting groceries that week. Not only does the cost of non-vaccination affect the immediate family, but also affects the greater society. “Not vaccinating also carries a high price tag for society as a whole, exceeding $10 billion per year in direct and indirect cost” (“Top Reasons”). What many non-vaccinators do not realize is that their decision to not vaccinate is not only pertaining to their family, but to the people around them as well.  The cost of getting children vaccinated is much less than the end cost of not getting the vaccines. Families will save money and time choosing to vaccinate.

A third reason that it should be illegal to not vaccinate your children is that, it may cause them to face social implications in life. These social implications can be anywhere from exclusion to quarantine. When an unvaccinated child becomes sick it must be taken very seriously including who can and cannot see them. “If sick or exposed to disease your child may need to be isolated from others, including family” (“The Harm”). Since the illnesses unvaccinated children contract are extremely harmful, they will have to be taken care of with extreme seriousness, meaning if the no one in the family has had their vaccinations then they will most likely not be able to see their child. Outbreaks in the community may also cause your child to be ostracized by the community. Including having their day disrupted because of their non-vaccinated status.

If there is an outbreak in your community, you may be asked to take your child out of school and other organized activities, causing your child to miss school and special events. Your child’s illness or inability to go about their daily activities also may impact your work and household income (“The Harm”).

This being said not only is the child now being affected by not being allowed at school during an outbreak, but now the household is being put on hold. In early 2015, Disney World experienced the largest outbreak of measles in this country since the vaccination became available. The theme park does not discriminate against children who have or have not had their shots because they receive visitors from around the globe. Because of this outbreak many children faced social repercussions of not being able to visit the park. Parents who children did not have vaccines were highly urged to avoid the park, at risk of their child being infected. Unvaccinated children were not the only ones told to avoid the park, those children who have severe illnesses, like cancer, or weak immune systems that made it impossible for them to receive shots also were told not to risk going to the park. This is the most devastating form of exclusion a child could experience just because they are not vaccinated. Attending school is a right that every American child is entitled to, but contrary to what some may believe schools cannot exclude a child just because they do not have their vaccinations. While this issue is being discussed more and more across the United States, it is not yet in the law so unvaccinated students, exemptions or no exemptions, may still attend. This may prove to become a problem for the student, as they may be forced to wash their hands before touching anything, they may not be allowed to bring the class treats, and can even be barred from attending school trips. Other students in the class may exclude them from birthday parties, group projects, or just basic friendship. In order to give every child the same chances and opportunities in their social lives, vaccinations should be a legal requirement for school aged children.

Because children are put at risk, it is more expensive for the family, and it can cause children to face social implications, not vaccinating children should be illegal. Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Wakefield created a horrible connotation associated with vaccinations. In stating that certain vaccinations play a role in a child being autistic, many parents have begun to go to great lengths to keep their children “healthy”. The real question anyone should have for these parents is, what’s so bad about autism? Children with autism can live perfectly normal lives, but McCarthy and Wakefield made it seem like a terrible disease and blamed vaccinations as its cause. In reality, vaccinations do one thing only which is protect us from contracting illnesses that could make us incredibly sick. Getting your child vaccinated is safe for all children, can save the family money, and allow the child to have a normal social experience growing up. I urge anyone who feels passionate about this topic to go out and spread the word on the truth about vaccinations.