Within society today, there is ongoing controversy regarding vaccinations and if they should not just be optional but be mandated for all. If this were to come about however, the first amendment rights of the American people to exercise freedom of thought, speech, and conscious would be infringed. We as Americans should fight for our right to have the freedom to decide whether we choose to vaccinate or not. Where there is a possibility of risk, even if the chances of risk are slim, there should always be a choice because, if one specific freedom is taken away then who is to say what is next.
Vaccinations and the attempt to immunize from diseases has been around since as early as the 5th century B.C. However, Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology for finding a way to demonstrate immunity to smallpox in 1796. Then, during 1798 the first vaccination was created to eradicate smallpox and finally succeeded in 1979. Ever since vaccinations were created, the world of vaccinations has been seen evolving, modernizing, growing, and ever-changing into what it is today. The world of vaccinations has come a long way since the first vaccine and countless more vaccinations are being added to the inoculation list. Take the year 1983 for example, a child during this year would have received twenty-two doses of vaccinations by age six. We compare this to 2017, where a child receives fifty doses of vaccinations by age six. With this many vaccinations being inoculated, one has to perceive that there is perhaps, some risks associated.
Although vaccinations are considered to be the safest and most effective way to prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases, like most normal medications, vaccinations come with risks, can also have side effects and adverse reactions. Although side-effects are often mild, some can be life-threatening or even fatal. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated that vaccinations can carry the risk of life-threatening allergic reactions in about one in every million children. A quote from Vaccinations A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide states, “Vaccinations are associated with a wide range of reactions, from mild responses that can be expected with as many as 70 percent of all vaccinations given, to the severely devastating reactions that occur with great infrequency. Between these extremes is a large grey area of chronic problems, especially those effecting the neurological and immune systems which are becoming increasingly associated with vaccines” (Romm pg 88). These reactions raise cause for concern.
Another quote from this book says, “It can be difficult to establish causal relationships between vaccines and chronic health problems, as many manifest years after the inoculations have been given” (Romm pg 89). Much like this author says, many adverse reactions often slip under the radar or are not grouped with vaccinations. With this being considered, no one can ever be completely sure how a person and their body may react to vaccinations considering each person has their own genetic makeup. Something to really think about is that parents are told to introduce food slowly to children so as to watch for allergic reactions, but yet give a child many doses of vaccines beginning at birth without knowing how their body may react. Scientifically, vaccinations have not been long term tested to see how they react in the body and are not required to do so. Vaccines are essentially cheaper than drugs to move from trial to market for lack of adequate testing. Also, long-term testing is more expensive because test groups cannot be using drugs at the time. With over 70% of the American population using some kind of prescription drug, it can make a test group close to impossible to find (vaxxedthemovie.com). There is also safety for drug manufacturers to be safeguarded from lawsuits by customers injured by their vaccines since the passing of the vaccine injury compensation act that was passed in 1986.
Manufacturing of vaccines was going to be halted before this act was passed for the simple fact of all the lawsuits they were being slammed with. This act in the long run increases the value of vaccinations because there is no cost being put into legal defense or settlements. Essentially, it is easier to find ingredients within the foods we eat than it is to find the ingredients in vaccines. The sheet given to parents at time of vaccination has no information on ingredients or possible side-effects. Take the Gardasil vaccine that is quite popular within America today for example, this vaccine is responsible for more adverse events, permanent disability, and more deaths than all current vaccines combined on the market today. “Even the package itself declares a rate of 2.5% serious adverse events, and that is only within the 15-day trial monitoring period. That’s 2,500 life-altering events per 100,000 women” (Brogan et al, 2015). Scientifically, it has not even been shown to cure or prevent a single case of cervical cancer like it is intended. This is just one of the many vaccines that has been proven to come with the possibility of adverse reactions.
Massachusetts in 1855 became the first state to require school children to vaccinate. All fifty states within the United States require certain vaccinations in order to attend school, be in the military, or oftentimes, work at a certain job. However, despite this requirement parents and adults can bypass this requirement with the proper exemption such as for medical or religious reasons. Some states also allow exemptions for philosophical reasons. Among the states who do not allow certain exemptions for religious reasons are Mississippi, West Virginia, and California, many other states don’t allow exemptions for philosophical reasons. Even within countries like China that mandate vaccinations there is seen despite a 99% vaccination rate they still had seven hundred measles outbreaks between the 2009 and 2012 with outbreaks still not ceasing to vanish despite mandates set in place.
As in every controversy there is always two sides to every issue considering each individual has their own beliefs, thoughts, and does what they deem best at the time for not. Both the anti-vax and pro-vax groups do what they do out of protection of their bodies and care for their children. Each side solely believes that what they are doing is right and has their logical reasoning for what they think. Each side should respect the other’s views as everyone has freedom. Some might believe that vaccinations should be mandatory for the health and safety. There is a term in vaccinology called “herd immunity” which is where most people believe that a population is protected from contagious diseases and an outbreak is less likely to happen if a population is vaccinated because there are fewer susceptible people. Vaccinations are not given just to protect a certain person but also protect the lives of others who cannot vaccinate for various health reason and may perhaps rely on other individuals and that immunity to stay disease-free. The CDC stated that, “The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer opportunities a disease has to spread” (cdc.gov/vaccines).
In reality however, against disease and sickness natural immunity provides a better immunity than “herd immunity.” Even the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has claimed that “It is true that natural infection almost always causes better immunity than infections. Whereas immunity from disease often follows a single natural infection, immunity from vaccines usually occurs only after several doses” (chop.edu). Immunity is something you are born with naturally, whereas vaccinations are something foreign we put in our bodies. Vaccine immunity typically does not last a life time like they are described to do and their immunity does not last typically as long as natural immunity. Considering that the majority of the U.S. population is adults, one can assume that the majority of people are what the CDC would consider unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. Coverage is somewhere between 20-30% and often the vaccinations received during childhood have most likely lost effectiveness.
The CDC, which is the place people tend to look to for their vaccination information, has noted that, “If we let ourselves become vulnerable by not vaccinating, a case that could touch off an outbreak of some disease that is currently under control is just a plane ride away” (cdc.gov/vaccines). Thus, vaccine-preventable diseases have not disappeared, but are still rampant in other countries making vaccination necessary in order to keep diseases that have been eradicated from making a huge comeback. “There were 9,149 confirmed and 31,508 suspected cases of measles in the Philippines between January first and May 20, 2013. In 2004, there were 37 cases of the measles in the United States; in 2014, by May 30 there were 16 measles outbreaks in the United States resulting in at least 334 cases in 18 states” (Vaccines ProCon.org).
The truth behind all of this is that the life-threatening diseases that vaccines target are oftentimes relatively harmless, and many diseases have simply ceased to occur, such as polio which has been said to have been eradicated since 1979. Take measles for instance, in the news people are seen going into apocalyptic mode because of a measles outbreak when in reality, all that happens is a rash, fever, and a runny nose that can be treated with fluids and rest kind of like the typical cold. Rubella is often just a virus with a rash and low fever that can be treated with acetaminophen. These are just some of the diseases vaccines are said to protect from and when looking at the symptoms, they don’t sound as bad as some make them out to be and nothing screams life-threatening disease.
People should not solely rely on companies such as the CDC, but instead utilize the freedoms given in the constitution to become educated on such important matters. There should always and forever be a freedom of choice that is protected by the constitution regarding things such as vaccinations. Each person has their own thoughts, views, and perceptions of what is best in that time and each should have the freedom to do so. When the possibility of a risk is present, even if the chances of such risk is slim, there should always be a choice, because if one freedom is taken away who is to determine what might be next. The role of any government is not to mandate an invasive procedure that carries documented risk of injury or possibly death.
