Vaccination exemption in CA, personal down, medical up

[Whateverist]

It still amazes me, in this day and age, that people will listen to the ignorant ranting of "celebs" over that of medical professional, when it comes to the health of their kids.

There are people in the world who genuinely cannot get vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons, and those who choose not to for idiotic reasons are putting these peoples' health, as well as that of their own children, at risk.

Sorry, CL, but as far as I'm concerned it should be mandatory.  And those who completely refuse to be a part of this part of modern medicine should also be denied access to all other aspects of modern medicine.

Between your lot shooting their kids up with autism juice and the dentists determined to put a radio transmitter in everyone's fillings .. you can't really blame them I guess.

[The Valkyrie]

It still amazes me, in this day and age, that people will listen to the ignorant ranting of "celebs" over that of medical professional, when it comes to the health of their kids.

There are people in the world who genuinely cannot get vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons, and those who choose not to for idiotic reasons are putting these peoples' health, as well as that of their own children, at risk.

Sorry, CL, but as far as I'm concerned it should be mandatory.  And those who completely refuse to be a part of this part of modern medicine should also be denied access to all other aspects of modern medicine.

Between your lot shooting their kids up with autism juice and the dentists determined to put a radio transmitter in everyone's fillings .. you can't really blame them I guess.

The truly non compliant should be "disappeared".

[LadyForCamus]

I would plan to vaccinate my kids, but I feel like if someone doesn't want to for whatever reason they shouldn't be forced into it .

What?!  Do you understand the risk that poses to the children they're exposed to at school?

[The Valkyrie]

I would plan to vaccinate my kids, but I feel like if someone doesn't want to for whatever reason they shouldn't be forced into it .

So then let's say that the parents who don't vaccinate their kid, somehow manage to get their kid into the public school system. They are potentially putting other kids at risk because of their choices. My oldest has had numerous surgeries and because she has a heart condition, she's in a higher risk category for getting an infectious disease, especially from a child who's parents have chosen not to vaccinate. 

So let's also say that one of those anti-vaxer parents' kids comes down with meningitis and comes into contact with my child and my child gets sick and dies as a result. How fair is it that those parents shouldn't have to go to jail for essentially being reckless with their choices and causing the death of my child? They get to enjoy their child, who gets to live the rest of their life while mine is six feet under the ground. If that ever happens, I will absolutely push for life in prison and if they don't get convicted, I will be filing a wrongful death lawsuit against them. People like that are selfish and inconsiderate to those around them. 

The studies don't lie. Vaccinations help more than they hurt. And because of vaccinations, several diseases have already been eradicated or nearly eradicated. Take Polio, for example. 

Fact sheet from the WHO

Key facts

• Polio (poliomyelitis) mainly affects children under 5 years of age.
  
  
• 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
  
  
• Polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 37 reported cases in 2016. As a result of the global effort to eradicate the disease, more than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis.
  
  
• As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200 000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.
  
  
• In most countries, the global effort has expanded capacities to tackle other infectious diseases by building effective surveillance and immunization systems.
  

bold mine.

It's not so easy to say someone shouldn't be forced into vaxing their kids when the threat of death is a reality for thousands of kids like mine.  Any my child's life is just as important as any child belonging to an anti-vaxer.

Smallpox is estimated to have killed between 300 and 500 million people in the 20th century alone before it was eradicated.

That's up to half a billion in 80 years.  Six to ten times the number killed in WW2.

Half a billion.

One fourteenth of the current world's population.

But, according to the anti-vaxxers, the only thing they achieve is making money for pharmaceutical companies.

We're close to eradicating a number of other ailments as well, polio included.

[Whateverist]

I would plan to vaccinate my kids, but I feel like if someone doesn't want to for whatever reason they shouldn't be forced into it .

What?!  Do you understand the risk that poses to the children they're exposed to a

It is hard to picture them being "forced".  Images of SWAT teams grabbing kids and restraining parents as infants get the needle are pretty repulsive.  But how else do you force the unwilling?  In the US, we pretty much let parents do as they like with kids - so long as they don't leave marks.  Maybe we need a leper colony island for the unwilling?

[Fake Messiah]

But guys De Niro's son is autistic! Seriously people shouldn't blame vaccinations on their kids autism but rather not actually have kids when they're over 50 years old, because risk of the kid not being OK are higher with age. I mean what does he think is in vaccines that causes autism?

[bennyboy]

If 90% of children receive vaccinations, then 90% of kids who develop autism will have received vaccinations. It's not hard, then, to get a large body of anecdotal evidence.

In Korea, people believe in "fan death" or "air-con death," because so many people in summer die with fans in the room. Derpa derrrrp.

[Aroura]

What?!  Do you understand the risk that poses to the children they're exposed to a

It is hard to picture them being "forced".  Images of SWAT teams grabbing kids and restraining parents as infants get the needle are pretty repulsive.  But how else do you force the unwilling?  In the US, we pretty much let parents do as they like with kids - so long as they don't leave marks.  Maybe we need a leper colony island for the unwilling?

You forbid them from participating in other things. Like school, sports, etc. that will cause most people to do it. Then the few who continue to refuse won't be such a large danger to others. I'm glad California got rid of non medical opt outs for school.

As others have said, there are children who have no choice, they cannot get vaccinated for health reasons. And often they are also more prone to illness, so need herd immunity to keep them safe. Why does some persons "choice" overrule that child's safety?

I know there is fear when people vaccinate. I went through it with my kid. But we still got her vaccinated, because the risks of going without outweigh the risks of getting them.

Not directed at you Whatevs, just thinking out loud.

[brewer]

What?!  Do you understand the risk that poses to the children they're exposed to a

It is hard to picture them being "forced".  Images of SWAT teams grabbing kids and restraining parents as infants get the needle are pretty repulsive.  But how else do you force the unwilling?  In the US, we pretty much let parents do as they like with kids - so long as they don't leave marks.  Maybe we need a leper colony island for the unwilling?

Ken Hams boat thingy will work.

[Jackalope]

Smallpox is estimated to have killed between 300 and 500 million people in the 20th century alone before it was eradicated.

That's up to half a billion in 80 years.  Six to ten times the number killed in WW2.

Half a billion.

One fourteenth of the current world's population.

Put another way, that's approximately the entire population of North America.

Yeah, let's not vaccinate and return to the happy fun times of global pandemics that decimate populations.