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- To vaccinate or not? It’s a hot topic with strong opinions on both sides. Parents who have personal or religious beliefs against vaccinating have been able to exempt their kids from vaccines for decades now. That will be changing soon.
Since any “proof” about the harm of vaccines has been disputed, and since there have been numerous alarming outbreaks of diseases, the American Medical Association is speaking out to clear up any possible confusion you may have.
A spokesperson for the AMA stated yesterday that “there is no scientific basis for non-medical exemptions and that they put the public’s health at risk.” The AMA clearly stated “parents should not be able to refuse vaccinations for their children based on any religious or personal beliefs.”
Kudos to the AMA for speaking out, as a community of doctors, when so much misinformation about vaccines is going around.
I think so many people have forgotten that just one generation ago, people died from diseases that are now unheard of because of vaccines! Vaccines have been able to control or even eradicate diseases like smallpox, polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps and rubella.
Permanent paraplegia from polio, infertility from measles, and of course DEATH from smallpox and many other diseases should not be forgotten. It is due to vaccines that we now don’t have to worry about our children dying from any of these.
Yet so much misinformation is out there, terrifying parents. The biggest misconception, based on no scientific evidence, is that there is a link to vaccinations and autism. I’ve read almost everything out there in defense of this hypothesis and I was still confident to give my kids all of their vaccines. People ask me all the time about my opinion with regards to vaccines and I am very clear that they are essential in today’s world.
The recent measles outbreak at Disneyland is a perfect example of how a few people “opting out” can potentially affect hundreds.
To put it another way, it isn’t fair for anyone, even a person whose religion prohibits vaccination, to get away with not vaccinating if they want to live in this country.
The AMA, the largest physician group in America, has finally spoken out after numerous lobbying groups have tried to keep exemptions as options. California, for example, is one of 19 states allowing parents to opt out of vaccines for any “personal belief.” Almost every state allows opting out for religious reasons. Big money has been put into lobbying legislatures to allow for personal belief exemptions.
Personal beliefs? What that translates into is a parent who isn’t sure and is afraid of what they may not know. So they decide not to immunize their child, often knowing that if most of the other kids are immunized, their child is probably safe.
Vaccinations are a community issue, not an individual one.
- It’s simple: If they want their children to be members of society and enter kindergarten, US parents should be adhering to the recommended vaccination schedule. I’m glad that the AMA has (finally) spoken out!
