The Mmr Vaccine Did Cause Autism

Some parental concerns persist that vaccines may cause Autism. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed throughout the years. There is a major worldwide increasing rate of Autism diagnoses. Theories have centered on measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, thimerosal, and the large number of vaccines being administered. Studies have showed that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing Autism Spectrum Disorder. An Institute of Medicine in 2001 did a report on eight different vaccines given to children and adults found that rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe. In 2013, another study added to the research stating that vaccines do not cause Autism Spectrum Disorder. Many vaccine-averse parents argue that while vaccines might

In the United States we are very fortunate. For the most part we do not live in fear of disease outbreaks from day to day. Our government along with the Centers for Disease Control and Public Health Departments have managed to have adults and children vaccinated and set up recommendations regarding those vaccinations. Despite all that is done our country allows freedoms. One of these freedoms is to not vaccinate your child from communicable diseases due to personal beliefs. With the worlds populations becoming more mobile, that sets your child up for dangerous encounters; because some countries are not as strict on laws regarding vaccinations and some

“Today one in every 150 children has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum; 20 years ago that statistic was one in 10,000” (Mooney, 2009, p. 58). There are many vaccines that are administered to children today that protect them from measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, invasive Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) infections, etc. (Miller & Reynolds, 2009, p. 167). Among these and many other diseases children are currently being vaccinated against 14 diseases, and these take place from infancy until the start of kindergarten. These childhood vaccinations are given as early as they can be to make sure the children are protected against any diseases that can occur in their

Religious beliefs are fundamental rights of the people. As such they are inviolable, within reason. A person cannot simply make up whatever religious beliefs they choose and expect these to be honored by society. Nevertheless, vaccinating against diseases is a practice that has well established resistance among many religious people. Such resistance, as an issue of faith among many people, should be respected by school systems (McFall, 2008).

I agree with Lantos, Jackson and Harrison (2012) that personal belief exemptions should not be allowed when it comes to vaccinating children. However, Opel and Diekema do make a good point about changing the way exemptions are made and could be a possibility in the future before completely. I do, however still believe that all parents try to make a choice based on the best interest of their child but in this circumstance they are not only choosing for their own child but are putting other children at risk in the process. This is what I don’t agree with. Many parents have said that it goes against their religious freedoms, or they don’t want to be forced to do something but I believe those are not good enough reasons unless the risks are outweighing the benefits through allergy or medical condition.

First of all, religion has become a frequently used excuse. Recently, a case arose in New York City when three families obtained vaccination exemptions due to religious reasons (NYC Court 1). Because they chose to not vaccinate their children, their children were not allowed to attend school during times when another student had a vaccine-preventable illness (NYC Court 1). Naturally, this sparked an uproar among the parents, who then sued the city by claiming it was a violation of their First Amendment right to religious freedom and their 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law (NYC Court 1). The dogma of several mainstream religions references vaccines and whether or not they are necessary. For example, “the Catholic Church strongly supports vaccination, even making it a moral and

Throughout research done on the possible link between vaccines and autism, there have been three hypotheses: (1) the combination MMR vaccine causes autism by damaging the intestinal lining, which allows the entrance of encephalopathic proteins; (2) thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative

Policy makers in response have considered different approaches to address the concern in societies, which include modifying the exceptions. The first approach is to eliminate the personal-belief exceptions concerning religious and cultural exceptions. The move is understood to contribute to decreased incident of exemption rates which has proved to be a real challenge. Furthermore, people wishing to exempt themselves from the vaccination should be made aware of the implication of their decision. The reform includes engaging in broad consultation with health practitioners or other government agencies who are more informed on the matter. The

Choosing to vaccinate or not vaccinate children has become a large topic of contention between parents and medical personnel. Rates of non-medical vaccine exemptions for children entering public school continue to increase across the country. This increase has coincided with a resurgence in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, or VPDs (Lynfield, 2014, p.1). There are a variety of reasons why a family might apply for a non-medical exemption and the validity of these exemptions varies from state to state. Regardless of the justifiability of an exemption, growing numbers of non-vaccinated children entering school will increase the prevalence and mortality from VPDs (Lynfield, 2014, p.2).

Many people refuse the vaccination process simply because of their religious views. In the article, Vaccinations and Parental Rights written by Sam Blumefeld, he talks about religions and belief systems that promote different perspectives towards objections to vaccines. An example is the belief that the body is sacred, and should not receive certain chemicals or blood tissue from animals, and should be healed by god or natural means. One of the most prominent views is, the Church of Christ also known as Christian Science. It’s believed that they can heal all things through prayer rather than through medicine. Therefore, many of these worshipers strongly oppose vaccinations. The article, Vaccines: A Religious Contentions states the different

On the pro-vaccination site entitled, Why Vaccinate, they detail a situation that is a true story depicting a breakout of measles in Minnesota. In 2011, an unvaccinated toddler traveled to Kenya for a family vacation. Upon their arrival home the child now, unknowingly infected with the measles virus, not only infects another adult family member, but also attends a day care shortly after returning home. One day after attending the day care the child broke out into a rash and had unknowingly infected 3 more children at her daycare, these children went home and 2 more adults became infected. The adult family member that was infected spread the virus to 2 emergency medical professionals; the medical professionals would respond to a call at a homeless shelter later and infect 4 of its member. Three more cases would pop up in the area with uncertainty of how they contracted the virus. It only took one child to infect 23 people and put 14 children in the hospital, this could have all been avoided had the child been given the proper vaccination (Pastuer, 2013).

In my opinion, the only circumstance for the vaccination exception can be permitted is the specific health condition. Because vaccinations are for the health safety for the children as well as adults. There shouldn’t be any exemption when it comes to safety of a child, individual or a community as a whole.

Likewise, some people should not receive vaccinations. These individuals should not receive vaccinations due to their age, health conditions, among other factors. These other conditions are independent depending on the type of vaccination received. “They can range from an individual who cannot swallow, to a pregnant woman, to a person with a life-threatening allergy, to a component in the vaccination” (Hales 543). A small percentage of individuals do not respond to a particular vaccine. ”All states provide medical exemptions, and some state laws also offer exemptions for religious and philosophical reasons” (State Vaccination Requirements). “Some religions even prevent certain parents from vaccinating their children because of their belief that the disease is a naturally occurring thing and humans have no right interfering with it” (Hales 544). However, most state laws establish vaccination requirements for school children. These laws apply to public schools, private schools, and day care centers. “State laws also establish mechanisms for enforcement of school vaccination requirements” (State Vaccination Requirement). “Vaccines save

Imagine, you have just been rushed off to the hospital. You have just been diagnosed with whopping cough. You can feel your chest caving in, you have difficulty breathing, and every time you breathe your body makes a whopping noise. You could stop breathing at any time. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality of many babies today, as babies cannot immunise until at least 2 months of age. Like most of you, I love my family and I would do anything to protect them. That is why my family chooses to vaccinate.

As we have seen, one of the best ways to treat diseases, or prevent people from contracting a disease is to have them immunized. However, if the public’s view about vaccines gets marred by allegations which do, or do not have scientific validations, we risk being in a position where people refuse to use vaccines. Non-immunizations based on religious perspectives is a worrying concern, which can be detrimental to society’s efforts to combat diseases. Religious bodies such as Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism command millions of followers. When these religious bodies raise concerns about vaccines, the potential of these concerns to influence millions of followers is huge. What is most worrying is the lack of adequate scientific data to back some