by Andrya Lewis

Created on: August 11, 2008

All vaccinations are not the same. All children are not the same. Across the board vaccinations for every child, regardless of their individual circumstance or health, is ludicrous.

Initially, vaccinations in the united states were to prevent large outbreaks of communicable diseases that were being spread by coughs or casual contact. Because the widespread devastation of the diseases, health care professionals and the people themselves were eager to find a way to escape the ravages of illnesses such as polio and small pox.

But today we have vaccinations against diseases that are transferred through contact with blood (Hepatitis B) or sexually transmitted diseases (HPV). These diseases are not airborn or highly contagious.

We'd like to believe that modern western medicine is fool-proof and that science and technology can keep us safe from harm. But tinkering with the intricate workings of the human body doesn't always have predictable results. Doctors can't guarantee any particular outcome. Because we are the ones who have to live with the consequences of those choices, we should be the ones to make it. Doctors are like employees or consultants who have a vast wealth of knowledge and expertise to advise us, not make decisions for us. The government does not know every child or their medical histories and therefore should not be able to make widesweeping medical decisions for all of them.

Because no outcome can be guaranteed, there will be some parents who vaccinate their children who may regret it. Similarly, there may be some parents who choose not to vaccinate their children who will regret it. Each parent should make a decision based on the benefits and risks to their particular child. So, for instance, a parent might choose to delay or decline immunization against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) because of a perceived risk of developing autism from the vaccine versus the small chance that the vaccine could prevent the disease. However, that same family, facing an outbreak of measles in the next town over, might make a different decision based the situation changes and the risk of measles is more likely. But then again, maybe they won't.

The government can't guarantee that any particular vaccine will work the way it is supposed to work (some people may still catch the disease), that it won't have any side effects, or that people won't have allergic reactions. Parents should be informed about the benefits and risks of any course of action and then allowed to make the choice that seems right for their child.

It's simply un-American to forcibly inject all children with a pharmocological substance engineered by a private sector company for monetary gain.

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