According to a New Study, Nothing Can Change an Anti-Vaxxer’s Mind

[3catwoman3]

4. I can usually tell...

...by about 3 or 4 sentences into an immunization discussion, ir I stand the proverbial snowball's chance of making any headway with a vaccine reluctant parent. There is a great difference between parents who come in with legitimate questions, and those who come in with their minds already made up and their mental arms firmly folded across their chests.

A few years back, I frequently saw a family with 3 little girls. At the 18 month visit for the youngest child, the parents announced that they would not be agreeing to any further immunizations. This was rather puzzling, as the first two had been given all the usual protections, and so had the youngest, up to that point. When I inquired as to what had prompted this change of heart, I was told that their church told them that immunizing was polluting God's perfect creations (or words to that effect). I knew right then and there that I wasn't going to be able to come up with any persuasive argument.

The family went on to have two little boys, and remained firm in their stance against immunization. One afternoon, one of my colleagues, who is a very kind soul, was examining the youngest boy for a well visit. She spoke politely but quite firmly with the mother about the potential risks of not vaccinating. When I went to leave at the end of the day, one of the nursing staff said, "Mrs. X is waiting for you in the parking lot." Sure enough, her van was parked right beside my car. No way to pretend I didn't see her.

She sobbed as she told me that she preferred to immunize her children, but their church was one of those "the man is the had of the household" types, and HE had declared that the children would not be immunized. I felt terrible for her, but there was not really anything I could do.

The family continued to come to practice for a while. One of the last times i saw them, the eldest daughter, who was 7 at the time, sneezed in the middle of the office visit. She happily announced, "God must have wanted me to sneeze."
I typically keep my mouth tightly shut about religious matters when on the job, but was unable to let that pass. As gently as I could, I said, "I think God might have bigger decisions than that to worry about." (Not really what I wanted to say, but that was as far as I dared to go.)

Exactly like Nye versus Ham.