We got a letter from the government telling us our daughter should be vaccinated-we refused

[KellyW]

48. Try to follow along, this is important

The fact remains that we refused a “recommended” vaccine, by your assertion, we were guilty of neglect. Even though no doctor in America today would recommend the TB vaccine for our child in our circumstances. Should I have been kicked out of the 7th grade for refusing the A/New Jersey/1976 (H1N1) vaccine? It was recommended by the federal government in 1976- that was until after the November election that year, when they abandon the program.

The hysteria that has broken out is between the 2 camps; one side says ‘No, Never!’ And the other side, which you appear to be on, says ‘Make Them!’

The thoughtful public health professionals will tell you that force seldom works and comes at a high cost. One public health official in my state commented on a proposed bill to tighten vaccination requirements: “I want to know for sure it just won't make people more angry and create more backlash. I want families to feel good about getting their children immunized.” We need to convince vaccine skeptics of the positive risk/benefit of many vaccines, not try to force them to accept someone else’s decision-particularly when those decisions are not made by doctors and epidemiologists, but by politicians responding to the ‘Make Them!’ camp.

Let’s consider Thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines that many in the ‘No, Never!’ camp believed caused severe side effects. A link between Thimerosal and the side effects was never proven. However, Thimerosal was removed from all pediatric vaccines in the US-to improve public confidence in the safety of vaccines. Why did 100 million people get the Sabin vaccine in just 3 years? Particularly considering that it was kind-of dangerous. Because they wanted to, not because the government made them. They feared polio much more than the vaccine. If a vaccine had been available for Ebola in the US when there was a few cases last year, millions of people would have rushed to get it.

When it comes to vaccinations, you will never get everybody and the only way to get enough is by persuasion, not force. That is why public health took Thimerosal out of pediatric vaccines. Not because they thought it was dangerous, but because they thought it would persuade more people that vaccines are safe.