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Should it be a parental right not to vaccinate your kids?

Childhood vaccinations?


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ALiberalModerate

Pragmatist
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Since vaccinations seem to be a contentious issue among some religious and social conservatives, do you believe that vaccinating your kids should be a requirement for residency in a state or country due to public health reasons, or should it be a up to the parents because its a parental rights issue?
 
If you choose to forgo vaccinations for any reason you should sign a waiver stating you will pay all medical bills at 100% of their value (no insurance/government subsidies) for any illnesses incurred as a result of avoiding that vaccination.
 
So far as I'm concerned it's a parental rights issue. I know my brother and sister-in-law had a number of fights with the pediatrician for their children over certain innoculations. On the other hand, I also support the right of a public school system and any private daycare, school, etc.... to say "Your child must have X, Y, Z in order to come into this facility."
 
If you choose to forgo vaccinations for any reason you should sign a waiver stating you will pay all medical bills at 100% of their value (no insurance/government subsidies) for any illnesses incurred as a result of avoiding that vaccination.

The problem with that is that in many cases such a waiver would be worthless as medical bills could easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a serious illness, and thus few people would have the ability to pay. Moreover, there is also the issue of public health. For example, you can infect someone with measles that is up to 100 feet from you. If you were to come into contact with a baby and you had measles, you could pass the infection on to the infant if they had not yet been vaccinated for it themselves.
 
The problem with that is that in many cases such a waiver would be worthless as medical bills could easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a serious illness, and thus few people would have the ability to pay. Moreover, there is also the issue of public health. For example, you can infect someone with measles that is up to 100 feet from you. If you were to come into contact with a baby and you had measles, you could pass the infection on to the infant if they had not yet been vaccinated for it themselves.

You can't really prove transmission that easily. And most parents wisely vaccinate their children. And I really don't care how expensive the medical bills become. If you can't pay there'll be a program/punishment put in place for that. These people are making a choice. If they ignore or neglect to understand the risks that isn't my (or society's) problem, and it never should be.
 
For it to be a valid parental rights issue it would have to not place the children at risk. In this case not only does it place children in substantial avoidable danger, it places those around the child in danger as well.

Parental rights do not supercede child welfare.
 
This is my take on this as a parent. I am a civil libertarian. I believe that your right to live your life the way you choose to do so should extend so far as to not impede another individual's ability to do the same. I believe that as a parent it should be your right to raise your children with the faith and values you choose. I believe that as a parent it is your right to provide your children with what ever education you choose to give them. I believe that you should be able to discipline your kids the way you choose to so long as it does not injure them. I even think that if you are some hate peddling white supremacist, you have the right to raise your kids with your racist views.

However, I do not believe that you have the right to potentially subject your kids to a horrible and agonizing death that could have been easily prevented with a vaccination, simply because you are a ****ing idiot. You don't have the right to abuse your kids. You do not have the right to starve your kids or not provide them with the necessities of life (food, water, shelter). Similarly, you do not have the right to subject them to a potentially agonizing death for a completely preventable disease simply because you are a ****ing idiot.
 
The problem with that is that in many cases such a waiver would be worthless as medical bills could easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a serious illness, and thus few people would have the ability to pay. Moreover, there is also the issue of public health. For example, you can infect someone with measles that is up to 100 feet from you. If you were to come into contact with a baby and you had measles, you could pass the infection on to the infant if they had not yet been vaccinated for it themselves.

they sign the waiver and can't pay...they don't get the treatment. put natural selection back into action.
 
This is my take on this as a parent. I am a civil libertarian. I believe that your right to live your life the way you choose to do so should extend so far as to not impede another individual's ability to do the same. I believe that as a parent it should be your right to raise your children with the faith and values you choose. I believe that as a parent it is your right to provide your children with what ever education you choose to give them. I believe that you should be able to discipline your kids the way you choose to so long as it does not injure them. I even think that if you are some hate peddling white supremacist, you have the right to raise your kids with your racist views.

However, I do not believe that you have the right to potentially subject your kids to a horrible and agonizing death that could have been easily prevented with a vaccination, simply because you are a ****ing idiot. You don't have the right to abuse your kids. You do not have the right to starve your kids or not provide them with the necessities of life (food, water, shelter). Similarly, you do not have the right to subject them to a potentially agonizing death for a completely preventable disease simply because you are a ****ing idiot.

Okay...so what about those who abstain from medical intervention entirely due to religious beliefs?
 
Okay...so what about those who abstain from medical intervention entirely due to religious beliefs?

The Supreme Court has already addressed that issue:

In the case of Prince v. Massachusetts, the US Supreme Court ruled: "The right to practice religion freely does not include the liberty to expose the community or child to communicable disease, or the latter to ill health or death."

You have the right to be a martyr if you choose to, you cannot make that choice for your children. You do not own your kids like you own your property, thus your authority over their affairs is not absolute.
 
they sign the waiver and can't pay...they don't get the treatment. put natural selection back into action.

Unfortunately it won't always be the dumbass who made the decision not to vaccinate who suffers the consequences. It will be their kids...or someone else to whom they transmitted the disease.
 
Unfortunately it won't always be the dumbass who made the decision not to vaccinate who suffers the consequences. It will be their kids...or someone else to whom they transmitted the disease.

this is true. that's why you always make sure you get the vaccine. protect yourself against the stupidity of others.
 
Unfortunately it won't always be the dumbass who made the decision not to vaccinate who suffers the consequences. It will be their kids...or someone else to whom they transmitted the disease.

Exactly, you are not vaccinated for every preventable disease the moment you come out of the womb. Mandatory vaccinations also prevent children that are not old enough to be vaccinated against a disease from contracting that disease.
 
.....You do not own your kids like you own your property, thus your authority over their affairs is not absolute.

On that I will disagree with the SCOTUS as completely and totally as humanly possible. Until they turn 18 or are no longer being supported by their parents, they most definitely ARE that parent's property. Always have been and always will be.
 
On that I will disagree with the SCOTUS as completely and totally as humanly possible. Until they turn 18 or are no longer being supported by their parents, they most definitely ARE that parent's property. Always have been and always will be.

Ok, so since your kids are your property, then you should be able to starve them to death if you choose to do so right? After all, I can do what I want with my property. Kids have never been legally considered your property. The government has intervened is cases of child abuse or neglect since the founding of the country (albeit not consistently early on).
 
On that I will disagree with the SCOTUS as completely and totally as humanly possible. Until they turn 18 or are no longer being supported by their parents, they most definitely ARE that parent's property. Always have been and always will be.


Then you support abortion?
 
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you get your infant vaccinated. if your neighbor chooses not to vaccinate his and the kid dies....sucks to be him. stupid people raise stupid kids.

You are missing the point. You cannot vaccinate your infant for everything the day they are born. For example, infants cannot be vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, Rubella until they are at least 12 months old. Thus, if your neighbor does not vaccinate their kid, your infant could contract those diseases from the neighbor's kid.
 
You are missing the point. You cannot vaccinate your infant for everything the day they are born. For example, infants cannot be vaccinated for Measles, Mumps, Rubella until they are at least 12 months old. Thus, if your neighbor does not vaccinate their kid, your infant could contract those diseases from the neighbor's kid.

WTF are you doing letting the neighbor's kid play with your infant?
 
WTF are you doing letting the neighbor's kid play with your infant?

Jesus, just admit that your initial reasoning was wrong. Measles is communicable from up to 100 feet away. So you could not even let your infant go near the neighbor kid, and they could still get it.

However, your flawed reasoning does demonstrate why a public health issue should not be left simply to the whims of a parent.
 
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Yeah, unfortunately we can't let the stupid people just kill themselves by this means, maybe paintings of bridges on cliffsides, yeah.
But if we all stay inside, it could work. I say let the 22% be morons and kill their children and then we can send them to jail if they don't die from some horrible infliction brought on by their own spawn. Mohoohoha....
Wait we already do this. Thank the gods someone was thinking.
 
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vaccination is all positives for those without an egg allergy. and as technology improves, the egg allergy issue will be solved, as well.

anti-vax woo puts children at risk.
 
For it to be a valid parental rights issue it would have to not place the children at risk. In this case not only does it place children in substantial avoidable danger, it places those around the child in danger as well.

Parental rights do not supercede child welfare.
Too bad you wouldn't say the same for abortion. Gotcha!
 
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