If you vaccinate your kids, does it bother you when other people dont?

[el's mama]

Originally Posted by luvsviola This mentality drives me crazy. The ones that didn't survive aren't here to tell about it.

Originally Posted by jessicalev8 It drives me crazy too. Like when parents say "I never rode in a car seat and I'm fine..." I was fully vaccinated and never had any issues - DD, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky.

I find it quite similar to the "my kids had all their vaccines and are fine" mentality. Personal experience on either side does not speak for the masses. My Mom, however, is not trying to take away someone's right to vaccinate. People who think vaccinations should be required by law are trying to take rights away from others.

Originally Posted by mibarra I find this attitude ridiculous. These people are committing fraud. Saying I wouldn't break the law if they'd let me do what I want isn't an excuse. If you think a law is wrong, stand up and fight to get it changed, but I hate the attitude that it's ok to violate the law just because you don't agree with it. Have I broken laws? Sure, I'm guilty of speeding, and not always coming to a full stop before making a right hand turn at a red light, but I didn't show up in court and say I shouldn't have to pay a ticket because your laws are stupid. Vent over.

Yeah, because speeding and running stops sign is exactly like forced injections.

If you're going to call an attitude ridiculous, maybe you should come up with a comparison that isn't.

Originally Posted by wlillie It's still fraud. No one *needs* an exemption. If I felt strongly enough about something I would find an alternative rather than lying. The government put those laws in place to protect the people who can't get the vaccine and the small amount who don't get immunity from the vaccine.

So if vaccines became illegal but were still readily available, you wouldn't vaccinate your kids, right? Good for you! Feel free to tell all of us liars what the alternative is in our situation...

Originally Posted by harmoni247 When people fight a law to get it changed, they generally stop following the law as well. I do not believe that abiding by laws is of utmost importance. If a law is wrong, I'm going to disobey it. I do what I need to do for me and my family. Period. If abiding by laws, even those you disagree with, is what you want to value, then by all means, do so. (eta: I am referring to laws I believe are ethically wrong, not just annoying ones...i may be annoyed that I can't roll a stop sign, but I can understand the laws purpose and it's far from unethical)

This reminded me of Piaget's moral stages of development. When you ask a young child if it's ok to break a law to protect someone, they say no, because to them, laws are absolute. As they get older and gain a wider understanding, they can reason and say that a human's right can be more important than a law. Of course I would lie to protect my child from forced injections. I wonder what the moral absolutists would do if the situation were reversed though....

Originally Posted by JennTheMomma Why is Dr. Sears scary? I had to read some of his books for my courses (not to follow him but to hear all sides of the "spectrum") and he always talks about following your intuition, which is thinking for yourself. Even in his vaccine book he is pretty pro-vaccine and gives you pretty much all sides (what's in the vaccine, how it's made, why you should get it, why some don't, you should get it if you travel to x).

Because he doesn't agree with her.

[ambersrose]

Originally Posted by uncertain Is this kind of like how no one *needs* an abortion? My personal opinion is that the government should not interfere with peoples' bodies.

ITA

[ambersrose]

Originally Posted by harmoni247 I don't vaccinate and I've never read dr. sears....the cdc and medical studies gave me all the info I needed. I would also counter your statement with "Pharmaceutical companies are far scarier and far more influential than any single author"

[RainandRedemption]

Originally Posted by harmoni247 By inner workings I mean the compilation of beliefs and why you believe them. Each individual belief it's very unoriginal, but the thought process involved in a belief system absent of official guidance is completely unique. The thought process of every religious person I've met eventually goes back to "because x says so". I've been in plenty of debates and it ALWAYS goes back to faith. They can logic it out so far, but eventually, they fall back on faith...thats the whole point of religion, isn't it? To follow gods orders and believe everything he/she/they say? I am saying this about dogmatic religions that are recognized by the government/the majority, not just spiritualism. I don't understand why it would be offensive to say that devoutly religious people don't compile their own worldview when thats what most claim to strive for ("giving themselves over to god", etc.) In any case, I'm sorry my words we're offensive and in sorry that my point was lost...my beliefs are no less valid than the followers of big religions, and so, I am not lying to anyone.

I understand what you are saying and yes I will admit there are people like that. But I am Christian and I have giving a ridiculous amount of hours of thought into why I believe what I believe, and honestly, I bet I couldn't find another at my church who shares the same worldview.

But ITA your views and beliefs are just as valid, regardless of if you have a holy book to back you up

[*BAD2theBUNZ*]

Originally Posted by MamaNae Yup. I would lie, steal or kill to keep my children from harm. In my opinion vaccines pose a very real threat. If I need to lie to keep my children from being exposed to that threat I will.

COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE!!!!!!! Go Mama bear, go!!!! : )

[Hope4More]

Originally Posted by nicolemariep P.S. I live in Washington state, where we are in the middle of a whooping cough epidemic right now. The epidemic has been attributed (in large part) to a lack of herd immunity in this area, so this has been on my mind a lot lately. ..

I have to be quite honest right now. I was just diagnosed with whooping cough. I've been sick for two weeks. I am NOT getting better, and am on my FOURTH antibiotic. I fluid leaking out of ALL holes (TMI, sorry). Why? Because I was allergic to the Pertussis vaccine, and I didn't receive the last half of it. It's not supposed to be a big deal because everyone else is vaxed, and whooping cough is pretty much non existant. That's what my mom was told. Turns out, not everyone is vaxed now a days. It's my opinion, as well as my doctors, that I got it from someone else who was not vaxed, either due to allergies or choice. The point is, there are people who CAN'T choose to protect themselves, but community vaxing is supposed to help EVERYONE. I'm slightly angry right now.

With that said, I TOTALLY get the non vaxing thing. I understand wanting what is best for your kids. People think I'm crazy for eating only organic (with the exception of fudge stripes and raisinettes). People think I'm crazy for cloth diapering. I may think people are crazy for not vaxing, but then when I think of chemicals, animal and human bi-products that are in them, not to mention who knows what else, I don't really want them in my kids either, and I cringe and think "ignorance is bliss" when ds gets a shot. I'm afraid of the diseases, because the truth is - they ARE coming back. i'm afraid that when i read up on vaxing, I'll be scared of the vaccines. And THEN what am I going to do? So we vax. And I'm about having Whooping cough. I'm angry it's because the herd doesn't have immunity. But I get it. I'm I'm kinda that I haven't had the courage to read about vaxxing like you ladies.

With ALL THAT said... we delay/select vax I think is the correct term? We (and our ped) follow a two shot rule - one for each leg. Anything more and I'll come back in a month or two (I'm sorry if that makes some of you cringe). And I will NEVER let my kids get Gardasil. I know too many people that aren't the same because of that shot.

[alwaysfallingup]

To answer the original question, I really go back and forth on how I feel. On one hand, I completely support parents in making informed choices for their own children. It is an important right. However, I also feel like vaccination for serious diseases is an important public health issue. After watching my aunt struggle her entire life after a disfiguring, crippling childhood of polio, I just wanna give Jonas Salk a big old French kiss.

[songbird516]

Originally Posted by Hope4More I have to be quite honest right now. I was just diagnosed with whooping cough. I've been sick for two weeks. I am NOT getting better, and am on my FOURTH antibiotic. I fluid leaking out of ALL holes (TMI, sorry). Why? Because I was allergic to the Pertussis vaccine, and I didn't receive the last half of it. It's not supposed to be a big deal because everyone else is vaxed, and whooping cough is pretty much non existant. That's what my mom was told. Turns out, not everyone is vaxed now a days. It's my opinion, as well as my doctors, that I got it from someone else who was not vaxed, either due to allergies or choice. The point is, there are people who CAN'T choose to protect themselves, but community vaxing is supposed to help EVERYONE. I'm slightly angry right now. With that said, I TOTALLY get the non vaxing thing. I understand wanting what is best for your kids. People think I'm crazy for eating only organic (with the exception of fudge stripes and raisinettes). People think I'm crazy for cloth diapering. I may think people are crazy for not vaxing, but then when I think of chemicals, animal and human bi-products that are in them, not to mention who knows what else, I don't really want them in my kids either, and I cringe and think "ignorance is bliss" when ds gets a shot. I'm afraid of the diseases, because the truth is - they ARE coming back. i'm afraid that when i read up on vaxing, I'll be scared of the vaccines. And THEN what am I going to do? So we vax. And I'm about having Whooping cough. I'm angry it's because the herd doesn't have immunity. But I get it. I'm I'm kinda that I haven't had the courage to read about vaxxing like you ladies. With ALL THAT said... we delay/select vax I think is the correct term? We (and our ped) follow a two shot rule - one for each leg. Anything more and I'll come back in a month or two (I'm sorry if that makes some of you cringe). And I will NEVER let my kids get Gardasil. I know too many people that aren't the same because of that shot.

just wanted to say that you might want to try something other than antibiotics, like colloidal silver, tons of natural Vitamin C (not ascorbic acid), and probiotics. Or, ideally, all of that together. All of those antibiotics can wipe out your immune system and cause a lot of issues down the road, and they don't seem to be helping the actual problem..

[Hillargh]

My mom fully vaxed us, and hates that I don't vax DS. I'll be in a bit of a situation after DS2 is born, having to rethink vaxing. DS1's seizures, medical reactions, and natural immunity to 2 diseases from me having them while pregnant were the biggest factors for me in not vaxing. That's not to say I enjoy the ingredients and other aspects, but those weren't my main reasoning. If this child (hopefully) is healthier than DS1 (seizure-wise and such), doesn't have similar issues with reactions and thus far only has 1 natural immunity... I'll be re-weighing how I feel about it all.

If I did vax DS2, I don't think it would anger me that some don't vax. I got whooping cough while pregnant from a fully vax'd person suffering from a milder form that wasn't diagnosed until much later. Had it been from unvaxed I wouldn't fault them. Not everyone is going to be 100% okay on either end, and will transmit something to someone at some point. But I can see how it /could/ upset others.

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[danner]

I started vaccinating my daughter when she turned 3 and will do the same with my son. My reasoning was that I SAHM, and their little baby bodies aren't as equipped to handle vaccines so young. Even now, my daughter's physical reactions to vaccines makes me ... sad, maybe uneasy.

Anyhow, I live in New York, not a place with tons of non-vaxers. If I were in the NW, I might feel a bit nervous about the people around me but as it is I think it is fine and up to the parents.