Being vaccinated is part of being a responsible citizen. There are risks, and some people will be harmed or killed as a result. The net effect to society, though, is better, though. I get flu vaccines, boosters for my childhood vaccination regime, and I'll vaccinate any children I have. I'm willing to take the risk because I love living in a society where these preventable diseases occur infrequently.
Your rant re: vaccine manufacturers is a non sequitur and doesn't speak to the issue we're discussing.
Being a self-righteous asshole doesn't invalidate my premise-- it just makes me a dick.
Anti-vaxers unfairly minimize the risk to their children w/ respect to vaccine reactions yet they receive (freeload) the benefits of herd immunity. They also put herd immunity at risk and place those who are too young or unable to be vaccinated at risk.
Their behavior is anti-social and they have no place in a civilized society and should be shunned (by legal means, in my opinion).
I'll suppose I can be a little more civil in my tone. This "issue" really peeves me, as you probably saw.
Vaccination has risks, but it also has great rewards. Your child might've died if he'd received an egg-based vaccine (or, he might've never developed an egg allergy to begin with... but that's a different debate with different science behind it). The published rates of vaccine reactions, combined with the reward for the individual and society, make me put my money on vaccination.
If your child ends up being unable to receive vaccinations I do hope that he's not horribly disfigured or killed later in life as a result of others not vaccinating their children.
Having a child means accepting risks. Living in a society that receives the benefits of vaccines and herd immunity, to me, means accepting the risks. I find it unfair to parents who accept vaccines (and expose their children to the risks) when anti-vaxers seek to be relieved of the risk by eschewing vaccines. They erode herd immunity and endangering those who legitimately cannot be vaccinated while, at the same time. They receive all the rewards of vaccination (at least, until herd immunity breaks down), are exposed none of the risks, and are actively hurting society. They are anti-social, selfish people who deserve no place in a civilized society.
The benefits to the individual and society outweigh the risks, to me, I accept that the risks are part of having a child. I'd gladly vote for legislation that made freeloading, anti-social anti-vaxers go live somewhere else.
Let's make it a law because after all we wouldn't want people to believe they own their OWN bodies, and actually have the temerity to say what does or does not go into it.
Yes. I want this. I want to live in a society where people are forced to give up this bullshit "freedom" to refuse vaccines. I'll vote for that all day long. If you don't like it then I don't want you living in my society. Go somewhere else. Assuming we have vaccines that are scientifically vetted and tested I'd be happy to live in a society where vaccination is mandatory. Maybe you think my opinion is strong but THE FUCKING IDIOTS WHO REFUSE TO VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN ARE MAKING THE WORLD LESS SAFE FOR EVERYONE ELSE. They're the selfish bastards...
I.E. if someone else was to get sick via a non-vaccinated person then in theory they were also NOT vaccinated. Hence they only people suffering would be those who chose not to get the shot.
You're a fucking idiot. You don't understand "herd immunity". Infants can't be vaccinated immediately, but they're susceptible to disease. Some people have health problems that prevent them from being vaccinated. Sometimes the vaccines just don't work. When the vast majority of people (the "herd") are vaccinated then enough immunity exists to prevent the disease from gaining a foothold and spreading. As soon as there are enough people who aren't vaccinated herd immunity breaks down and the world becomes unsafe for infants, those who cannot be vaccinated, or the unlucky few who the vaccine doesn't work on. If my child died as a result of a preventable disease that they contracted while too young to be vaccinated and I found out they were infected by an the child of an anti-vax nutjob I think I'd have little choice but to kill the anti-vax parents. I'm quite sure I'd have a hard time staying my hand. People who are that anti-social and selfish don't deserve to live.
The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form. -- Stanley J. Randall