Mandatory Vaccination Controversy

The HPV vaccine reception has been similar to that of the hepatitis vaccine in that both are seen as an attack on morality, and are considered by some as a license for promiscuity. In the book Vaccine Allen quotes, ‘ “ If a 10- or 12-year-old is given a vaccine to protect against a sexually transmitted disease, then it’s implied they’d be engaging in risky sexual behavior,” said Pia de Solenni, director of “life and women’s issues” for the Family Research Council’ (433). The fact that HPV lives in the sexual organs and is spread by sexual intercourse or intravenous drug use has caused many parents to come to the belief that their children are not at risk. Some parents go so far as to suggest that if

HPV vaccinations bring up many public health and ethical issues. Some states want to require vaccines for school attendance. In the academic journal article “HPV Vaccination’s Second Act: Promotion, Competition, and Compulsion”, author Jason Schwartz states that, “Although some argue that HPV vaccines should never be mandated for school attendance, the temptation for policymakers to revisit this ethical and policy debate must be resisted until HPV vaccination has successfully become a routine, trusted component of adolescent medical care” (Schwartz). This train of thought exemplifies the opposition to HPV vaccination in this country, which restricts us in immunizing possible victims as effectively as possible. If the ignorance towards the vaccine continues, there will not be a powerful impact in decreasing rates of HPV infections.

Vaccines change over time as science makes advancements and diseases processes evolve and emerge. Around 400 BC, Hippocrates recognized the now preventable diseases, such as diphtheria and mumps (Immunization Act Coalition, 2015). The first effort to immunize dates back to the 1100’s when children were inoculated with scabs from individuals who recently had small pox, with a technique coined as variolation. Then in 1796, Edward Jenner successfully created the first small pox vaccine (Immunization Act Coalition, 2015).

Controversy concerning the risks of vaccinations will always exist. As is the nature of a preventative intervention, it is difficult to rationalize giving a completely healthy child an injection that is known to have varying degrees of sides affects5. Additionally, these injections are to provide immunity to children for diseases that have an extremely low risk of circulating within a population. Since these vaccines have been able to protect so many individuals from experiencing these dangerous infections, most parents do not even have personal experiences regarding the impact of these diseases. As such, many parents do not see the vaccine-preventable disease as a threat to their child. This often causes parents to not fully understand the risk their child has for contracting a disease and the subsequent danger of a vaccine-preventable disease infection verses the potential side effect of a vaccine which is normally only mild to moderate discomfort for their child15.

This paper was written for MLS 500: Graduate Research and Writing taught by Dr. Kyla Hammond

Looking at the childhood vaccination controversy gives one an in-depth view into one of the more obvious conflict between the society and the vaccine manufacturers. The controversy is whether the government can require parents to vaccinate their children. Many families do not wish to do so based on religious and other reasons. Some believe the risk of catastrophic side effects is too high. Several childhood diseases have been nearly eradicated in the United States because of the required immunizations such as polio, whooping cough, diphtheria, etc. Some mild side effects include fever and local inflammation at the site of the injection. Some children can have severe reactions, which include seizures, autistic type reactions, and death. Parents

There is no doubt that vaccination has been one of the greatest successes of public health programs in the 20th century. Vaccinations have eradicated naturally occurring smallpox, and have substantially reduced morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases that previously ravaged the population, such as polio and measles. Despite the successes, there has been a history of “anti-vaccinationists” in the U.S., who among other challenges, argued compulsory vaccination was an infringement upon personal liberty and their right to choice (1, 2). In fact, it took a Supreme Court decision to ultimately assert whether a state mandating vaccination infringed upon the U.S. Constitution.

When one is given a vaccine, he or she is being injected with a killed microbe to train his or her immune system to be able to fight it off, in hopes to prevent a future disease. Whether or not to vaccinate one’s child has been a controversy through the years, because some vaccines have had unplanned side effects. These unplanned side effects have caused parents to be skeptical on whether or not to vaccinate their child, despite getting vaccines can possibly prevent a fatal disease. Many questions have risen from this practice of vaccination, in which Dr. William C. Douglass attempts to answer in his article, “How To Win the Vaccine Argument Every Single Time”. Although William C. Douglass provides decent arguments

Vaccine-preventable diseases have not disappeared, they are “only a plane ride away.” According to parents.com, “Just because a disease is lying low doesn 't mean it won 't return. History has shown that when vaccination rates drop, disease rates rise, no matter how rare the illness may have seemed. With the rise in international adoption and travel, serious illnesses are only a plane ride away.” Polio for example is not active in the United States, however, the virus is still active in other countries like Pakistan. This disease can show no symptoms and be easily passed from person to person. Other diseases that have “disappeared” have shown up in the United States as well. Diseases such as diphtheria which is very rare in the U.S. but still extremely active in Algeria, Egypt, Africa, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, and many more countries. Many people travel to these countries and bring the disease back with them. If you are not vaccinated, it is very easy to catch a disease from someone while traveling. These diseases are still very real and have not just simply gone away. According to Dr. Sawyer, "Until a disease is eliminated from the planet, we will have to continue immunizing

Smallpox and measles and mumps, oh my. These diseases we thought we had terminated when vaccines were invented are making a comeback due to parents not vaccinating their young children. Vaccination started as early as the 1800s with smallpox, and as the disease began to decline, the government’s vaccination policies declined as well. As that series of events occurred, parents have decided vaccinating their children is not necessary, leading to the deadly return of these diseases. The government mandating childhood vaccinations is vital to the Nation’s well-being to ensure proper health and safety from diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and human papilloma virus.

Vaccines are safe and a crucial component of childhood and community health. They do not just protect the children of America, they protect those who cannot receive vaccines, because of severe allergies, and weakened immune systems from other diseases. So, to keep them safe we need to make sure that everyone else is fully immunized. There are a lot of specific groups in America, who cannot receive vaccines, including newborn babies, who are too young to receive vaccines. According to CDC, 10-20 babies die each year, because of contracting a vaccine preventable disease (7). This is from the babies encountering children and adults who have decided to not only risk their own health, but the health of someone else’s child. “As long as the majority of children receive their vaccines, we will be able to maintain our current level of disease control. However, should the level of community protection drop to the point where the viruses and bacteria travel unimpeded from person-to-person, from school-to-school, and from community-to-community, we instantly return to a past era when epidemics were an accepted part of

The choice to vaccinate a child holds much debate in society today. As a person that lives in America, you may feel it is your right to be able to choose what medical needs and necessities you would want for your child or yourself. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for kids aged 0 to six. No US federal laws mandate vaccination, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Even though vaccines are considered extremely safe there are cases where in some people have a type of allergic reaction. Most states offer medical and religious exemptions; and some states allow philosophical exemptions” (Wadman, 2017). This point calls for a lot of debate, both in the scholarly world and among average citizens. Some people claim that such medical conditions, such as autism are the result of over vaccinating or dosing at early ages of development. Reasons on the topic vary, and concerns can end up in long legal disputes. Such disputes have raised the question of vaccine safety, prevention, and government intervention.

Living in an environment where we are prone to many viruses, it’s very important that one take the proper precautions or considerations to control the risk of getting affected. However, when utilizing the ability of not becoming infected, one may question the fact weather there’s an actual effective form of prevention or not. To clarify the uncertainty, over many years one of the most strategic methods that have been used for the control and preventions of viruses are vaccinations. A vaccination takes advantage of one’s body natural ability to primarily learn how to eliminate almost any disease causing germ or microbe that affects it. Therefore vaccinations are considered one of the most effective ways to prevent severe outcomes initiated by viruses.

Imagine two children; one who has been completely vaccinated, and the other has never been vaccinated. Both children fall ill from the same virus, but the child who had been vaccinated fully recovers, while the child who was not passes away due to complications. That child’s life could have been saved if the child received the proper vaccinations. Ever since the invention of the Smallpox vaccine more than two centuries ago, there has been an abundance of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccinations and immunizations. It has recently been argued whether laws should be introduced that render some or all vaccines mandatory for all children. Parents, health care specialists, nurses, teachers, and children

All 50 states require vaccinations for children to enter kindergarten. These mandated vaccinations protect children from various diseases, such as, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, etc. These are contagious diseases that are contracted by casual contact within a school setting and have resulted in many deaths prior to the introduction of the vaccine. Mandating these vaccinations was the only solution to prevent the disease from spreading. In recent years the side effects of these vaccinations have been in question. Every child is unique and their bodies respond differently to each vaccination. Therefore, it is crucial to educate parents about all vaccinations and possible side effects. An informed parent has the right to decide whether to have their child vaccinated and when to have their child vaccinated. In 2006 the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced to the vaccination repertoire for 11-12 year old females and in 2010 for same aged males (Keim-Malpass,29). This vaccination is now mandated in Rhode Island, Virginia, and The District of Columbia. This vaccination unlike the other mandated vaccinations is to prevent the spread of a sexually transmitted disease, which is not contracted casually in a school setting. Mandating the HPV vaccine has created much controversy.