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Mandatory vaccination

Should vaccines be mandatory?

  • yes

    Votes: 54 56.8%

  • no

    Votes: 36 37.9%

  • not sure

    Votes: 5 5.3%
  • Total voters
    95
M

Masterhawk

DP Veteran
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Location
Colorado
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Most people vaccinate their kids but there are a few who don't. There are people who are allergic to vaccinations and sometimes, the vaccination isn't 100% effective. There two groups of people depend on herd immunity (everyone else being vaccinated). By not vaccinating their kids, antivaxxers are not only putting their kids at risk but also others.
 
It should not be the role of the government to mandate medical treatments.
 
I say no, certainly not "mandatory."

The one thing that should be sacrosanct is the right to choose what to do with one's own body...especially when it comes to what goes in it or can be taken out of it.

When you elect to empower the government to invade any citizen's body "for the good of society," then you open the door to all sorts of future abuses of individual liberty.

Educate people and then inoculate only those who choose to allow it for themselves and their children.

This paternalistic idea that "we know what's best for you, even if you don't" is the cause of many social ills IMO.
 
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Masterhawk said:
Most people vaccinate their kids but there are a few who don't. There are people who are allergic to vaccinations and sometimes, the vaccination isn't 100% effective. There two groups of people depend on herd immunity (everyone else being vaccinated). By not vaccinating their kids, antivaxxers are not only putting their kids at risk but also others.
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That is life and death. Since vaccinations can and do cause adverse reactions including brain damage and death the government (nobody) has the right to force vaccinations.
 
Many serious deseases have been eradicated in the USA but with all the illegals from Central America
flooding into this country some serois outbrakes are cropping up again. For that singular reason vaccinations should be mandatory.
 
Redress said:
It should not be the role of the government to mandate medical treatments.
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Absolutely it should it's the role of the government to protect the citizenry and that's what vaccinations do
 
Bodhisattva said:
That is life and death. Since vaccinations can and do cause adverse reactions including brain damage and death the government (nobody) has the right to force vaccinations.
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People like me need to be protected from people like you
 
Should the government be able to violate an individuals right to bodily sovereignty? No.
 
katzgar said:
People like me need to be protected from people like you
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I am vaccinated..

My child is not....

If you die because of her not being vaccinateded... that is your problem.
 
Bodhisattva said:
I am vaccinated..

My child is not....

If you die because of her not being vaccinateded... that is your problem.
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The war against the microbes is going to take just a little more working together than that to win.
 
Redress said:
It should not be the role of the government to mandate medical treatments.
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To play Devil's advocate here, one could argue that the Government should play a role in keeping it's populace safe from preventable diseases like Polio. It could be considered entirely irresponsible to not provide and mandate vaccines to protect the small population of Americans who are medically unable to receive vaccinations.
 
Bodhisattva said:
I am vaccinated..

My child is not....

If you die because of her not being vaccinateded... that is your problem.
Click to expand...
I fully understand the bodily autonomy and individual rights arguments against mandatory vaccination and agree with the underlying principle but I can’t support such callous disregard and dismissal of the potential consequences of that decision. I don’t see how you can be so focused on the potential negative side-effects of vaccinations yet apparently have zero interest in the potential negative effects of a lack of vaccination.
 
Redress said:
It should not be the role of the government to mandate medical treatments.
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Then homeschool your (general you) kids don't have them go to public schools.
 
CMPancake said:
To play Devil's advocate here, one could argue that the Government should play a role in keeping it's populace safe from preventable diseases like Polio. It could be considered entirely irresponsible to not provide and mandate vaccines to protect the small population of Americans who are medically unable to receive vaccinations.
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Yeah, the government should be able to force individuals to undergo medical procedures for the "greater good". Do you also support sterilisation to prevent genetic disorders? Castration to prevent STD's?

On a non-hyperbolic note, you would also be mandating that people who are allergic to vaccines be vaccinated, so would the government accept responsibility for deaths in serious cases?
 
spud_meister said:
Yeah, the government should be able to force individuals to undergo medical procedures for the "greater good". Do you also support sterilisation to prevent genetic disorders? Castration to prevent STD's?

On a non-hyperbolic note, you would also be mandating that people who are allergic to vaccines be vaccinated, so would the government accept responsibility for deaths in serious cases?
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Mandatory vaccinations that can eradicate life threatening diseases is not the same thing as eugenics. Furthermore, I did state that people who are unable to get vaccines because of medical reasons would be exempted. But like I said, I'm just merely playing devil's advocate on the matter. "Bodily sovereignty" is all well and good as a philosophy but mumps and polio couldn't care less about your world view.
 
Since parents who don't vaccinate are putting not only their own children at risk, but other people who can't receive vaccinations for one reason or another, then yes, vaccines should be mandatory unless there is a medical reason not to receive them.
 
To address the question, I have to share a story of my step-daughter.

When she was 12 weeks old, she was taken to the doctor's office for a routine wellness checkup. Another child in the office has Pertussis (Whooping cough). He passed it to her (and likely to any one else who was not vaccinated.

Long story short, she was in the NICU for a month, coded three times and revived, was down to below her birth weight and given only a 12% chance of survival. Only a hail mary play involving adult strength medications not tested on infants could and did save her.

Rights are being discussed here. I understand the concerns of the parents and the people who want to regulate what goes into their children. But where was my wife's right to be able to not have this spread to her child? Where is the right of any other parent to not have this spread to their children?

That's what vaccinations do. They give a herd immunity. Where the inability of the majority of the population to catch and spread a disease protects those who are too young to be vaccinated themselves.

Again, I understand the argument against it. I don't agree with it because that way of thinking damn near killed my step-daughter, but I do understand it. I'm just asking how one side can have the right to not be vaccinated and that not conflicting with parental rights to be able to take an infant outside of the home without having to fear debilitating and potentially fatal illnesses?
 
Masterhawk said:
Most people vaccinate their kids but there are a few who don't. There are people who are allergic to vaccinations and sometimes, the vaccination isn't 100% effective. There two groups of people depend on herd immunity (everyone else being vaccinated). By not vaccinating their kids, antivaxxers are not only putting their kids at risk but also others.
Click to expand...

No. vaccines should not ever be made mandatory. It is not the governments role to order people to put stuff into their bodies. No matter the reasons.

Would you accept the government ordering every single HIV/AIDS positive person out there to take rat poison so that they die in order to get rid of the HIV/AIDES virus? "For the greater good of the community"? No? Then why would you accept this? Because it doesn't kill? Minor difference considering if they can order you to do this in the name of the greater good then they can order you to take rat poison also.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
 
Voted not sure.
I dont like the idea of the govt forcing vaccinations on people but we also live in a world where anti-vaxer morons put other peoples lives at risk based on their ignorance and fear. Perhaps the requirement to attend public school (except for those who refuse for non medical reasons) is a viable compromise. Allowing those who choose not to vaccinate to attend private (if they allow it) or be home schooled
 
I won't answer the poll because it is too general.

I think school age children who attend a public school should have to be vaccinated if there is no medical reason not to have the required childhood disease vaccinations.
 
Hypnotoad said:
To address the question, I have to share a story of my step-daughter.

When she was 12 weeks old, she was taken to the doctor's office for a routine wellness checkup. Another child in the office has Pertussis (Whooping cough). He passed it to her (and likely to any one else who was not vaccinated.

Long story short, she was in the NICU for a month, coded three times and revived, was down to below her birth weight and given only a 12% chance of survival. Only a hail mary play involving adult strength medications not tested on infants could and did save her.

Rights are being discussed here. I understand the concerns of the parents and the people who want to regulate what goes into their children. But where was my wife's right to be able to not have this spread to her child? Where is the right of any other parent to not have this spread to their children?

That's what vaccinations do. They give a herd immunity. Where the inability of the majority of the population to catch and spread a disease protects those who are too young to be vaccinated themselves.

Again, I understand the argument against it. I don't agree with it because that way of thinking damn near killed my step-daughter, but I do understand it. I'm just asking how one side can have the right to not be vaccinated and that not conflicting with parental rights to be able to take an infant outside of the home without having to fear debilitating and potentially fatal illnesses?
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I am so sorry that hppened to your step daughter .
Thanks for sharing your personal story.
 
Kal'Stang said:
No? Then why would you accept this? Because it doesn't kill?
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Simple reason. Because I was able to grow up not having to worry about being paralyzed by polio and spending the rest of my life dependent on a machine to live. Because I was able ot grow up not having to worry about smallpox induced blindness.

If they announced that they finally had a working, FDA approved HIV vaccine I'd be one of the first in line for that sucker.

Minor difference considering if they can order you to do this in the name of the greater good then they can order you to take rat poison also.
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Doctors do that now and nobody seems to mind.
 
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