When it comes to certain topics there is always going to be controversy surrounding them; this is the case with the topic of whether or not children should be vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) they recommend that children get vaccinated against up to 14 diseases within their first two years of life, and receiving booster shots as they get older. This idea leads to numerous debates on why children should be vaccinated or why parents should be able to opt out of vaccinating their children due to developmental concerns or religious beliefs. In my opinion, however, regardless of religious beliefs, vaccinations should be mandatory—unless there is a medical reason not to—because not only do vaccinations protect children from various diseases and can save their lives, but they also protect others around them and future generations. In April, California’s State Legislature moved forward a bill that would make it mandatory for children enrolled in public schools to be vaccinated, regardless of religious or personal beliefs. If the parents still do not want to vaccinate their children than they must homeschool them. In return, this sparked a huge debate on whether or not the bill should be passed. Just like almost anything there are pros and cons for parents vaccinating their child(ren). Some of the pros being: vaccines can save children’s lives; they protect the communities that children live in;
Childhood vaccinations have not been a topic of controversy until recent times. Due to the recent outbreaks of diseases that were thought to be eliminated, people are now investigating vaccinations. State representatives and Congressional people have even gotten on the bandwagon to emphasize the importance of vaccinations. Many states already require children to be vaccinated before entering school, but states allow religious, medical, or personal exemptions. Getting rid of these exemptions would be beneficial to not only parents and children, but also to members of society. Having children vaccinated at a young age when the immune system can respond correctly to vaccines will benefit the future health of children. Children are more at danger at a younger age to catch infectious diseases. Vaccines are a safe way to prevent the child from getting sick. “Proponents say that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century”
This essay will attempt to investigate the employment of the 23 plus vaccinations used today and how they defend the preventions and spread of diseases. The paper will support the pros and the cons of vaccinations that are supported by research statistics as well as the different symptoms that have been reported for each available vaccine.
To the average individual, the word ‘vaccination’ means to prevent illness. Vaccinations have many advantages; they allow us to be less susceptible to a variety of illnesses and diseases. Many individuals believe that vaccinations should not be mandatory. However, the benefits from vaccinations greatly outweigh the risks from side effects. The judgments are factual and ethical and are supported by testing and research findings from multiple sources.
Polio, mumps, and diphtheria are a few of the diseases that have killed numerous amounts of people in the past. Yet, in today’s time, they are diseases people rarely hear about others dying from unless they are discussing the past. The reason for this is modern day vaccinations. Vaccinations are shots that help prevent against certain diseases. Vaccinations not only prevent diseases, but can also cause them to become nearly extinct in treated areas. One example of this would be the small pox vaccine, people were dying from this disease every day, and now you rarely, if ever, hear people talk about it. Although these vaccines are lifesaving, parents are becoming reluctant to provide these treatments for their children. For this reason, all children should be required to get particular vaccinations, unless they have certain medical conditions.
We must not forget how catastrophic disease was in the 17th century. Many people, especially children died early deaths because their bodies just could not fight those diseases. We live in a time and age where vaccines are available to help us fight off diseases that once killed so many. I truly believe that vaccines are essential in maintaining health in human populations. “The number of young children who are not fully vaccinated for preventable diseases has been steadily increasing over the last decade” (Daniel A. Salmon)”. With so many more parents claiming nonmedical exemptions, from what was once routine vaccinations, they are not only leaving their children vulnerable to diseases, but everyone that the unvaccinated child comes in contact with; From the classmates and teachers of these children, as well as other people and children in their community. Vaccines are necessary, and the risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases can cause permanent disability and death. There has been no correlation between vaccines and developmental disorders such as autism. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease” (Vaccines ProCon.org)”. Vaccines are beneficial for everyone’s protection. Child Vaccinations should be mandatory.
Over the past year, vaccinations have sparked controversy all over America. Some parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children. I believe that all members of the community should be properly vaccinated to avoid the spread of disease, to prevent introducing eradicated diseases to other countries, and to prevent premature death.
Childhood Vaccinations Be Mandatory, by Kennedy Eyberg Exact purpose: To convince the audience that it should be mandatory to get childhood vaccinations. Introduction Attention Grabber: Once children were infected with deadly diseases, however, the vaccines that have been created have prevented or completely wiped out these diseases and protected children and teens from what could be life-threatening. Thesis: Childhood vaccinations should be mandatory because it could save a child’s life, it’s safe and effective, and it can save families time and money.
In the United States, the law states that vaccinations are required for children entering school unless they have a valid reason that prevents them from receiving the vaccinations. Starting when children are born, they begin the regimen of vaccinations that continue throughout their adolescent years and adulthood. Each year children receive a variation of shots to protect them from the illnesses they will encounter in the world, especially once they attend school. The most common reasons parents forego getting their children vaccinated are religious beliefs, medical exemptions, and personal beliefs. Due to the rising number of parents declining to get their children vaccinated, the number of outbreaks of preventable diseases has increased. The question is now should parents/guardians be forced to vaccinate their children?
Diseases and illnesses are studied constantly by doctors and scientists trying to find a cure for them. Plague and disease once ravaged our world killing thousands, with no hope or cure to prevent them from occurring. Today, however, is different. Technology is more advanced than ever, and people are living longer than ever before. Life expectancy in the United States has gone up by more than 30 years in the last decades. It isn’t by luck that many diseases now cease to exist, but through extensive studies, and research. The medical field is at the height of its studies with more people being cured of diseases than ever before. Most of this is to the credit of doctors and scientists developing vaccinations that help the body create antibodies, which help fight away diseases, and give the body immunity. I believe that forced vaccinations in children should be mandatory as they have the potential to prevent life threatening diseases, and save countless lives. Though many are against forced vaccinations and say they can cause mental illnesses or brain damage, this has not been proven. The rewards far out way the slight risk, if risk at all of the vaccination having side effects. The individuals who are not vaccinated are left vulnerable to illness, and can potentially infect those around them as well. Leaving scare of an epidemic, and wide spread of a virus. Forced vaccinations in the United States have been beneficial by preventing young children from contracting certain
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.
Between 1924 and 2013, vaccinations prevented 103 million cases of polio, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, diphtheria, and pertussis (Bailey). Vaccinating is “the process by which pathogenic cells are injected into a healthy person in an attempt to cause the body to develop antibodies to a particular virus or bacterium—successful creation of antibodies is referred to as immunity to the disease caused by the particular pathogen” (Introduction to Should Vaccinations be Mandatory). Popular conflicts regarding vaccination include the worry that this form of immunization isn’t natural, the idea that vaccination schedule for children in the U.S. takes away parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, and the concern that vaccinations aren’t safe for all children. Most doctors and scientists advocate for vaccinations in the name of herd immunity, protection against foreign diseases and prevention against pockets of disease outbreaks. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children in the United States for who they are deemed safe and effective.
Vaccinations have recently become a source of conflict as a result of misinformation. Studies that attempt to link vaccines to autism diagnoses, reports of children getting sick and rumors spread by conspiracy theorists contribute to the mess of confusion that should have a simple answer. The spread of misinformation can easily sway an uncertain parent away from the right choice. Ultimately these lies harm the child who is needlessly susceptible to potentially fatal diseases that could have been prevented by a visit to a doctor. Parents should be required to vaccinate their children because vaccinations protect ourselves and future generations from the unnecessary risk of preventable disease.
For many years, there has been a controversy about whether or not vaccinations should be mandated for everyone. In the United States, many diseases such as polio, diphtheria, measles, and whooping cough used to be extremely common, until vaccinations came around and started preventing these diseases. The main point for vaccines is to prepare a person’s immune system for any possible attack of a disease that comes in the future; a person’s body will be prepared to fight off the disease with the vaccine (“Basics”). Vaccines have the ability to prevent many cases of these diseases in advanced, but there are people who think vaccines are unnatural and should not be required for their children. It is said that immunity in child vaccines are about 90%-100%, which is an increase over the past few years (“Childhood”). Although many Americans believe that vaccines are unsafe and cause autism in children, vaccinations for children should be mandatory because they can save a child’s life, create herd immunity in a community, and they have been proven safe/cost-effective.
Over the years, there has been much controversy surrounding the subject of childhood vaccinations. With differing opinions, many are in favor about childhood vaccinations being required for children. Children vaccinations have been proven to be an effective means of preventing serious effects, including fatalities, from childhood illnesses yet there is still controversy over whether the risk of side effects from the vaccines outweighs the risk of contracting diseases. The belief behind mandatory vaccinations has been linked to people wanting vaccinations to be required for children because it will prevent the spread of childhood diseases, but there are still questions and concerns around why childhood vaccinations should be required. Questions surrounding this topic are: why should vaccines be required, are there any serious risks involved in vaccinating your child, and should children be turned away from school if they do not have vaccinations? There is also the question of should these vaccinations be mandatory or should this solely be a choice that the parents of the child should make? In order for us to be able to take our stance on the subject, we need to examine the answers to the question.
Parents all across the United States have an issue with vaccinations for their children. Parents as of today do not have the option whether or not to immunize their children. These vaccinations are potentially harmful for children, but they also help and prevent life threatening illnesses. Parents should be allowed to choose to vaccinate their children because at times, the vaccine might harm the child, and because the parents simply just have right.