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What do you think government policy should be on immunizations for children/adolescents?
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With the rise of anti-vaccine lunatics (and they ARE lunatics), there is a resurgence of diseases of third-world diseases here in the United States. This would be bad enough if irresponsible parents were only harming their own kids...but the more people that aren't vaccinated, the more likely it is for a disease to transmit to others.
As Dr. Paul Offit told TIME Magazine, some people can't be vaccinated due to real medical problems, and so they are at the mercy of whatever diseases others are carrying. As he says, "We don't think it's an inalienable right to transmit a potentially fatal infection to a group of vulnerable, hospitalized children." I think the same could apply to schools, public areas, or just about anywhere else.
What do you think the government's attitude toward vaccinations should be? Should there be a laissez-faire approach where everyone is allowed to vaccinate or not vaccinate their own kids? Or should the government require it since it's a threat to the public?
What do you think government policy should be on immunizations for children/adolescents?
I wonder, does the state own your kids or are you solely responsible for your own kids?
I think in the end it all comes down to choice vs. force.
I wonder, does the state own your kids or are you solely responsible for your own kids?
I think in the end it all comes down to choice vs. force.
If the vaccine has been tried and proven over the course of decades - like polio - then it should be mandatory. I support giving parents a window of time in order to get it done. There is some research to suggest that vaccinating newborns might have some negative effects. Whether or not it's true, I can understand if parents want to wait until their kid is 3-4 before getting the major vaccines done.
Stuff like the flu shot and chicken pox, I am against mandatory vaccinations for those. They haven't had long term scrutiny yet and they aren't life threatening conditions anyway.
Chicken pox can be life threatening. So can the flu.
So get the vaccine if you think you're at risk. Not everyone needs to have it, especially given that the flu mutates yearly.
You said they aren't life threatening conditions when they can be and I am more concerned with chicken pox (almost died from it) than the flu.
You said they aren't life threatening conditions when they can be and I am more concerned with chicken pox (almost died from it) than the flu.
What do you think government policy should be on immunizations for children/adolescents?
I wonder, does the state own your kids or are you solely responsible for your own kids?
I think in the end it all comes down to choice vs. force.
Unless you plan to keep your children in a safe for the rest of their lives, they should be vaccinated and it's something the government has an active interest in funding. This nonsense that you should have a choice as to whether or not you can carry a disease which will affect the population is just that, nonsense. I remember reading this article about just how horrible contagious the flu is and it shocked me. Just going to an emergency room can spread your germs into dozens of people who may have come in with a simple sprain or a migraine. It's disgusting just how fast diseases and viruses can spread amongst large groups of people.