Anti-Vaxxer Sympathy

[Aractus]

Yes, it DOES matter. This sort of shit causes very real consequences. There have been measles outbreaks in the US in the last year. There is no excuse for this at all. It is not true that there aren't many anti-vaccination people. These assholes are putting people at very real, tangible risk of contracting PREVENTABLE diseases.

So what - who cares? It's fucking measles in a first-world country where there's almost no chance of mortality from it.

Did anyone at all actually die in the outbreak from measles?

Do you realise you're labelling everyone who didn't vaccinate as "assholes" when in fact many people who don't vaccinate their child have done so because of medical reasons, or other reasons that caused them to inadvertently miss a vaccination.

The MMR vaccine itself is the problem. It has the lowest rate among vaccinations - mostly due to medical concerns (i.e. people can't take it when sick), but also due to the fact that parents don't like it. It's too strong - many people want it to be split into two or three different vaccinations, if it was offered in that way instead of as a triple vaccination the immunisation rate would increase.

Of course we want there to be less outbreaks of disease, but measles in a first world country really isn't as important as say whooping cough.

Here...in the US, it does matter...even if it shouldn't.  It does matter what they believe, because what they believe is precisely why they deny the care, and why we pussyfoot around it.

Well it's a matter for legislators. You're never going to be able to force people to do things, and nor should you expect them to. But you can certainly legislate so that the decision can be taken out of the parents control where it is medically necessary for the treatment of a minor.