Vaccination Argumentative Essay

To Vaccinate or not to vaccinate, has been a question many parents in America have been asking themselves for years. Some parents believe that it is their right to decide if their children will be vaccinated; while some states believe that all children should be vaccinated. There are logical and illogical reasons for this argument. There should be a federal law that requires parents to vaccinate their children because it will lower the number of deaths, benefit those children who have lower immune systems, and it can get rid of some diseases all together in the future.

I am passionate about this issues. I have worked as an immunization nurse for several years in the state of Maryland. In Maryland there are strict requirements for vaccinating children for school entry. I worked for Prince George’s County and Baltimore County Health Department. In the state of Maryland many children each year are out compliance and therefore are not allowed to attend school until the requirements are satisfied.

For years, the topic of mandated vaccinations for children has been a highly debated topic among health professionals, educators, parents, and government officials. Currently, the Center for Disease Control recommends that children between the ages of zero and six years should receive twenty-eight doses of ten different vaccines (ProCon.org, 2014). Although there is no federal law that requires that children get vaccinated, all fifty states require certain vaccinations for children before entering public schools (ProCon.org, 2014). These requirements often vary from state to state. All states in the United States allow for medical exemptions to the mandated vaccinations, while forty-eight allow religious exemptions and nineteen allow philosophical exemptions (ProCon.org, 2014). Mandated vaccination has remained a highly controversial topic as it questions whether a person should be able to make choices about his or her own body or if rules can be imposed that mandate vaccinations for the potential greater good of the public’s overall health.

As a mother it is my instinct to keep my daughter safe, therefore I feel like all parents should be required to vaccinate their children. I don’t believe we should have a choice. Vaccines have gotten rid of so many deadly diseases, if it wasn’t for them we could still have the black plague or small pox killing off our

According to the Encyclopedia of Family Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared vaccinations to be one of the top on the list of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. Vaccinations have been extremely successful in eliminating and containing many deadly diseases, such as smallpox and polio, by providing the public with immunizations to keep themselves healthy against these very scary and potentially fatal illnesses. Mandated vaccinations for children in the United States has remained a highly debated topic as many ague the freedoms of these children and their parents is being compromised by the notion of mandated immunizations and vaccinations to attend

The question is, should the government mandate vaccines? Those in favor of child vaccinations, believe that they are the greatest health developments of the 20th century. While those against them believe that a child’s immune system permits either a natural or acquired resistance to diseases than putting questionable toxic ingredients into a child’s body. In the US, 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools, though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. 50 states issue medical exemptions only (1), 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions, and 31 states exclude Philosophical exemptions. (2)

Mandatory vaccinations in public school in my opinion play a major role in children’s lives. They are safe and effective, they protect others we care about, and will protect our future generations. Throughout the years there have been thousands and thousands of children’s lives lost due to outbreaks of diseases such as polio and the measles causing many deaths among young children. Vaccinations that have become effective over the years, limiting these diseases if not getting rid of them period are the most effective way to get rid of these diseases. However, there are still some parents that refuse to have their child/children vaccinated due to their own beliefs. In this passage you will find out how these mandatory vaccinations are

Vaccinations have been widely discussed and debated about whether or not people should vaccinate their children. “Childhood vaccines offer protection from serious or potentially fatal diseases” (The Mayo Clinic, 2014)”. Vaccinations prevent diseases that can affect a child with symptoms of a cold or in some cases, the disease can be much more serious and can cause disability and death. The problem is that parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children against them. With choosing against vaccinating a child becoming a common occurrence, diseases that have been eradicated from the United States, are now starting to show back up in society. If there are no strict requirements on vaccinations, then diseases that have been dormant for decades from the U.S. will become into an epidemic. There are many reasons why parents state that they choose not to vaccinate their children. Some include religion, philosophical, and the possible connection to autism. These reasons have been proven to not be strong enough against the threat of the serious disease that vaccinations protect against. There are new regulations going into place, making it an educational and training process to the parents if they choose to not vaccinate their children. In addition to this, there are laws and regulations regarding who is liable in these situations. A child could possibly sue their parents or a third party could sue because they or someone in their family was affected from an infected

Vaccinations first surfaced during the turn of the 19th century. It is currently a law that all school aged children receive a specific list of vaccinations in order to attend a school system of any kind. While the requirements in America are general consistent from state to state, they do vary slightly across one another. Although it is required, there is a list of exemptions that would allow parents to send their children to school without receiving the required immunizations. An example of the exceptions are, medical reasons that would mean the child is not stable enough to receive these vaccinations, or a family that has specific religious beliefs and cannot vaccinate. Those children that are not protected rely on us with able children

Vaccination can save your child. The medical world is more advance then it has ever been before. The advancements in medicine have been able to save many children’s lives again harmful diseases that once killed thousands. Vaccines have killed off many diseases and a lot are on the brink of extinction. Vaccination protects your child from more diseases than ever before. Polio was once an epidemic in the united states that killed millions. Thankfully to vaccination polio is very rare and has not been reported in the states recently. Vaccinations help your child’s immune system interact with the substance that is in the shot and kill it off so that they are immune. The vaccine will not harm your child. Yes, there can be allergic reactions but that is better than death from your body not being prepared to attack the viruses.

Lets look at what a vaccination is first: “a vaccine introduces a antigen (a foreign substance that triggers an immune system response) into the body, and the person produces antibodies and develops active immunity to a disease without having the clinical disease” (Ball, Bindler and Cowen 370). Research reports of vaccination progress show supporting data of the decline in morbidity from nine vaccine-preventable diseases and their complications. The diseases being: smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella and haemophilus type B (cdc.gov). Vaccinations have proven their benefits over time, they improve the quality of life and allow the parents to have a piece of mind in this area concerning their child's

Vaccines have always been a controversial topic, to whether they are required all the way down to what they are composed of. It has been an ongoing battle since the 1970s and continues to make headlines even in this year of 2015 with the measles outbreak from Disneyland. Even now, many still believe that vaccinations can cause autism and choose not to vaccinate their children for that reason or another. Vaccinations are critical and need to be required for children before entering public schools.

Although no federal laws exist for mandatory vaccinations, each state has a group of required vaccines for children, prior to the enrollment in public and some private schools. So basically, if you’d like your child to go to school, they must be vaccinated. Forty eight of our fifty states allow for religious exemptions and all 50 states allow medical exemptions, such as allergies to certain ingredients. These exemptions allow certain students to go to school without the required vaccines. The required

Childhood immunizations, such as measles, chicken pox, and polio, are mandatory for school-aged youth and

“Proponents argue that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illnesses, including rubella, diphtheria, and whooping cough, which once killed thousands of infants annually are now prevented by vaccination” (“Vaccines”). Many deaths occur simply because children, along with adults, do not get the required shots needed. Medical treatments are not given to do a person any harm, but to keep a person and environment safe. Kids being vaccinated will give them less of a possibility to obtain a disease that could lead to death. Benefits outweigh any possibility of risking accumulating a disease. When people say that vaccinations are harmful, does not necessarily mean to develop a deadly disease, simply means some small risks. “Vaccines are not entirely harmless, but the small risks are outweighed by the benefits of a disease prevention” (Offit). Indeed flu shots must be tested in order to be able to give anyone the shot. Receiving vaccinations is only meant to help people prevent many illnesses and deaths. Although some small risks could be accumulated, those small risks are very small possibilities of anything happening to anyone. Getting immunized is not a one-time thing; people must follow up on required dates to receive them.