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I am not “anti-vaccination”. I am anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist, pro-choice, and in favour of human rights.
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Over the last couple of weeks, the atmosphere around vaccination, thanks to the recent measles “outbreaks” in the US and Canada, has reached insane proportions. Social and mainstream media is clogged with vicious commentary, threats, admonishments, and calls to have “anti-vaxxers” (although I have never encountered anyone who is calling for restricting access to vaccines for those who want them) jailed, killed, sent to live on desert islands, prosecuted, or denied access to their children. I have been told personally that my views on vaccination make me an unfit parent. I have been told that I am a murderer. And I have encountered both directly and indirectly, the twisted and slippery notion that not only am I intensely stupid, but that I and the other parents who choose choose to keep their children’s immune systems intact, are exemplifying the very worst of white privilege.
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I am very aware of the many layers and levels of privilege that I possess as a wealthy, western, middle-class, educated, intelligent, able, articulate white person. I don’t really feel the need to defend these privileges, or to claim that I feel guilty on account of them, because I can’t extricate my “self” from my socialization or my advantages (however much I might want to). I will say though, that I am committed to analyzing and examining my privilege in an effort to remain aware, compassionate and poised to ally as much as I can with those who are marginalized. And I will continue to unpack these questions and issues for the rest of my life.
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But as a parent, I will also continue to actively and consciously bring my privileges to bear on every decision I make—both consciously and unconsciously. And so will you. I don’t suspend or hobble my intelligence or my education when it comes to teaching my kids, nor am I interested in sublimating the potential for my children to also become educated or successful in the name of equality. I don’t purchase poor-quality food for my children so that they will remain nutritionally on-par with other less fortunate kids. Like every other parent, I hustle to give my children *every* advantage that I can, so that they will thrive, but also, so they might one day be in a position to help others, because I do care about and value my community.
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My many privileges put me and my kids in a unique position when it comes to vaccination, to be sure. Because I am wealthy, intelligent, resourceful, articulate, middle-class, geographically fortunate and so on, I am able to homeschool my kids. I am able to buy healthy food, I have access to alternative treatment methods if they do become sick, and despite the many instances I have experienced of harassment from medical professionals over my choices, (leading me to seek, if at all possible, alternatives to the allopathic system) I recognize that as a privileged person, these experiences pale compared to what a person of colour would have to contend with in a similar situation. For many reasons, my children probably do have a lower likelihood of contracting the measles than other kids—my privilege has allowed me to breastfeed them all, thereby accruing to them the best foundation for natural immunity. And if one of my kids *did* contract the measles, they probably have a higher likelihood of fighting the disease effectively, because of the many resources and privileges I have at my disposal in regards to treating and caring for them. I am also privileged in my ability to access, read and interpret studies on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. My decision not to vaccinate is not catalyzed by my overriding sense of privilege. My decision not to vaccinate is not an expression of my privilege. Rather, my privilege has granted me the tools to make an informed decision. And this makes people really angry.
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The notion that a parent who chooses not to vaccinate their child is grinding their boot into the faces of those selfless and altruistic families who happily sacrifice their own kids for the good of the herd is preposterous. We have not chosen to decline vaccination because we feel protected by those who do vaccinate. For the most part, we question the validity of all aspects of vaccines: their safety, their effectiveness, the legitimacy and veracity of the herd immunity theory, and the validity, fundamentally, of the ability of any substance injected subcutaneously to create a truly effective physiological immune response. The rage that vaccinating parents throw in the direction of those who do not vaccinate, is confusing: if you feel angry because you think I’m taking advantage of your obedience, enacted through the risk you took in vaccinating your child (because of course, vaccines *do* involve risk), then I have a little secret: You too can decline vaccination. But perhaps that wouldn’t be satisfactory either? Because what it comes down to, for many parents, I believe, is that the issue is approached as the choice between two fear-based perspectives: the fear of vaccines vs. the fear of illness. Those who don’t vaccinate are characterized as gullible, stupid, entitled, and in possession of delusional fantasies that their children are somehow stronger, better, and more pure (in their unvaccinated state) than other people. It seems very difficult for vaccine authoritarians to comprehend that we in fact do understand the risks of disease and sickness. Those risks are ever-present in spite of vaccines, and it is our conviction that yes, our kids are better equipped to confront those diseases, and possibly thrive, with intact immune systems. But we also know that the world *is* risk: illness, disease, contamination and death *are inextricable from life on earth*.
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The white privilege argument is a manipulative, obfuscatory conceit that lumps the disenfranchised, the person of colour and the immuno-compromised into one group, as supposedly victimized by the narcissistic white mother who values her own child above all others. It is a simplistic narrative, and condescending to all, but especially to the marginalized in that equation. Further, there seems to be little acknowledgement that the choice not to vaccinate accrues no status or advantage, and that in declining vaccines, and especially in publicly admitting so, puts us at considerable risk of stigma, abuse and discrimination and– If the social media zeitgeist is in any way predictive—hate crimes and forced medical procedures.
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I do feel much compassion for parents of immuno-compromised children. They are at risk from anyone with the common cold, or flu. Bacteria puts them at risk, public washrooms put them at risk. All the diseases that have yet to be named and classified put them at risk. Food and food-borne illnesses put them at risk. They are at risk from people who have been recently vaccinated. The world can never be made safe for children or adults who are immuno-compromised. And the world can never be made safe for my own children, whether or not they happen to be healthy at the moment. Life is not fair.
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I know several families personally, with immuno-compromised children. Signs of one good friend’s son’s immune-deficiency began immediately after he was vaccinated—prior to vaccination, he was healthy. It is impossible to know whether or not my own healthy children might be one of those who would react negatively to vaccines, or if their HARDY immune systems might *become* compromised due to vaccines. I don’t believe doctors or scientists are privy to the full scope of possible outcomes, side effects, or long-term implications of vaccination. I don’t believe that most parents whose children experience adverse reactions immediately or some time after vaccination are acknowledged, believed, treated, or included in the stats on vaccine safety.
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I have been researching vaccines for the past fifteen years. And yet, the vaccine proponents shout, You *still* insist on spewing lies, falsehoods and misinformation! Fair enough. While I am sincerely acting in good faith, and while I sincerely believe I am making the most reasonable, most scientific, and most healthy choice for my kids, and the world, I will accept the possibility that I am entirely wrong. Because to be honest, I actually have no interest in the vaccine “debate”.
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My deep concern is that there exists even a *single* person who feels that under *any* circumstances, another person should be forced to consume, inhale, inject *anything* for *any reason*—even if that reason is the supposed safety of another individual. That there would be any circumstance under which such a stricture could be deemed acceptable by any person, by any standard of human right, is a fascist nightmare. We must retain ownership over our own bodies, even if another person or group feels they have a stake in how that body is fed, clothed or medicated. We cannot eliminate the risks involved with being alive.
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Thank you my dear! To be honest I have been waiting for you to write exactly this as intelligently and eloquently as you always do. So grateful for your voice.
Dear Ella! Thank you so much. Wishing you and your beautiful family a gorgeous spring…soon! 🙂 <3 yo
There was nothing intelligent about this article. Nothing. She says over and over “I researched….”, yet never names a study, cites a specific example of anything she studied. Ridiculous essay comprised of her feelings. Feel sorry for the kids being home schooled and stuck with her idea of education.
Thank you for your comment, Dani. And thank you for pointing out that the essay is entirely comprised of my feelings. I think i might change the byline of my blog to Bauhauswife: No facts, all feelings. 😉 That pretty much sums it up. I do appreciate the opportunity for clarification. All the best to you.
Thank You for this. Thank You. This whole vaccine thing is so out of hand. Our reasons for not vaccinating our own children were just that, OUR personal reasons. I have fought for 12 years with Dr’s handing me endless paperwork and articles to read, despite me telling them that I’m fine with my decision. We’ve had first hand witness to friends and relatives with adverse reactions to vaccines, which further solidifies our beliefs and choices. I think, like religion, we should all just be able to choose what we want and not be criticized for what we choose. Your choice doesn’t make you better than the next person, and my choice doesn’t make me better than you. We all do the best we can. I appreciate this post more than you can imagine. Thank you for putting into words, everything I couldn’t!
Thank you for your comment, Jennilyn. I too know so many families personally, who have experienced very frightening adverse reactions to vaccines. Unofortunately, none of these reactions have ever been acknowledged or documented by physicians. I can’t help but think that the numbers publicized for adverse reactions are significantly fewer than the reality. Take good care, Yolande
Thank you for this! It’s so important to have more voices of reason out there. And, in case you haven’t seen this one: http://birthanarchy.com/pro-choice-movement-deployed-paternalism-vaccine-war/
Hi Leah, thanks so much, and yes, I read Kathy’s article yesterday, isn’t she just a gift? Loved it. Take good care, Yolande
I’m glad that this woman explored this issue through the lens of privilege. Measles is one of the top three killers of children under five in the world. So, I appreciate that she is very clear-eyed about the fact the treatment prognosis for a child who contracts it in the developed world is very promising. However, there are some people in our prosperous society who, because of their age, i.e. babies, or because of immunodeficiency, cannot be vaccinated. Her “15 years of research”, I suspect, may have been 15 years of confirmation bias. That is to say, I think she was probably reading a lot of material written from her own perspective. Question the “validity” of herd immunity all you want; it is a phenomenon established by painstaking data analysis by dispassionate scientists who have no interest in, and nothing to gain from, misrepresenting its existence. It is not a conspiracy of “Big Pharma”. It’s real, and because it’s real, it means that some vaccine-preventable diseases are going to become more prevalent because of parental refusal to vaccinate. This measles thing is not without precedent. The mumps have been reappearing as well. With herd immunity, there is only a negligible chance of a sick person encountering and infecting a non-vaccinated one. With greater numbers of parents electing not to vaccinate their children, it follows that those encounters become statistically more likely. I do agree that the belittling and shaming of those who choose not to vaccinate does nothing useful, but I would also argue that one does not get to “choose” what is real or not. For me, credibility in these matters goes to medical experts. The history of western arrogance and heavy-handed top-down manipulation of populations complicates this, I know, but vaccines are clearly victims of their own success. They were once sought as the gold standard of preventative medicine because people’s memories were full of the sorrows of losing their children, siblings, and friends. Yes, hygiene and nutrition were factors. But I believe it is our privilege–the privilege of not having had to endure those kinds of losses due to the success of vaccines–that motivates the contemporary choice not to vaccinate.
Thank you for your comment Peter! At the risk that you have fallen into confirming your own biases, I urge you to check out the work of Dr. Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD in immunology. Here is one of her lectures in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dts3ebwWlo. Dr. Suzanne Humphries (a highly-educated and practising nephrologist) is also excellent, here is a brief overview of the conclusions she has come to in analyzing the scientific data: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpC0Tbb3diI Have a good day 🙂
Ah yes, the “false balance”. A number of credentialed “experts” in a field of science are invoked to represent a “side”, sometimes giving that “side” an appearance of balance when the overwhelming majority of experts working in said field have a near consensus on the current science. In science, “mainstream” isn’t categorically a bad word, especially when it comes to peer-review and a general reputation amongst one’s peers.
We often see this phenomenon of false balance with climate change denial. John Oliver humorously illustrated it by staging a debate between 97 scientists and 3 deniers, a statistical representation of how opinion breaks down. I don’t have numbers representing how many immunologists, virologists, or epidemiologists are vaccine skeptics versus those that aren’t, but I tend to think we’d see something similar. But, hey, I’m no expert–I just defer to them!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/another-outbreak-of-false-balance.html?_r=0
Peter, thank you for being a reasonable voice here. The author is obviously well-spoken, and well thought out in her reasoning. However, the points you make are quite solid in showing how no matter what “research” one does we still tend to seek to inform our own biases. One million sources against and one for is generally enough to sate the conspiracy theorists that there is a ‘truth’ beyond what the consensus is.
We are in an extremely privileged time and place where one does not have to withhold a child’s name until after they have passed through measles alive. Not so in other parts of the world. No matter how much clean living and high-quality food we could afford children in Africa they will continue to die and be disabled from measles and other preventable diseases. The crunchy granola lifestyle Westerners fetishize clearly cannot be a solution for the very real problem of infectious disease, and leaves vaccines as the only barrier that is effective. Despite lack of nutrition or sanitation the vaccines create a life-saving barrier for these children and even adults. They can continue living off of food-aid and around open sewers while also not contracting preventable diseases.
So what do we say in this upside-down part of the world where both creature-comforts and medical science have created a near utopia free from the horrors of disease barely a few decades removed from us? I am coming to the conclusion that we can say nothing. We are so far removed from the reality of what these diseases really are that the only thing that can speak is the disease itself.
Since the 1700s the anti-vax movement has grown and waned in conjunction with times of lull and outbreak. I believe it will continue to do so (especially since almost all the arguments have been the same for 300 years). It’s not really fair to the children who don’t get to choose, but as the author stated life is simply not fair. What better way to teach that to children than to let them suffer through what they shouldn’t have to?
I am being sarcastic of course about letting children suffer. However, this is an ill society will have to keep revisiting because we cannot learn from our past, and our cozy, limited world-view blinds us from accepting reality. Like you said, we do not get to choose what is real. We can only be ignorant of it.
Thank you Stone, for your comment. Unfortunately, every single human will end up suffering through what we shouldn’t have to. Wishing you the best.
And at one time most doctors thought germ theory was rubbish, or that smoking wasn’t harmful.
Many of the “scientists” who have written the pages of flawed data for the CDC have since been prosecuted and have in the recent case been granted immunity. How can you say they had nothing to gain? They certainly had some kind of motive.
Yes. I don’t even get into this issue with vaccine proponents. Too exhausting. But thanks for mentioning it here Ashley, and take good care.
I do have to comment about the statement above when he says “One does not get to choose what is real or not.” One DOES get to choose what is real or not for all of life is vibration and all vibration responds to what we believe is real. Life is apt to only deliver what we are willing to believe and therefore we receive it and that pertains to everything. No exceptions. Nothing is real unless you make it real. To create the life we want we MUST disregard appearances and turn away from the “reality” of what appears towards that which eternally is. Our real existence is Spirit. What would be the point of somebody doing ANYTHING they do not believe in? ANYTHING. Fear medicine produces more fear. Fear isn’t real. It’s a challenge these days to remain true to what you believe is right for you. When people think they have found the best way to live, then that’s when true danger sets in. Credibility goes to God, not the manufacturers of vaccines or so called medical experts who are paid to produce favorable results and profits. This whole dilemma would be solved in an instant if people just got on with their lives and lived them the best they can. Trust would solve all of our problems right now.
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and I get that you are anti-establishment and I don’t think that you are unintelligent. But I don’t think you have a good understanding of immunology and disease. A healthy/hardy immune system does not equate to being able to be free of disease.
Many times disease is caused by an overactive immune system whereby in reacting to some antigen (foreign protein or sugar component of the “bug”) so strongly, the cascade of cytokines (immune chemicals in the body that fight pathogens) causes illness. Flu is a classic example of a disease where it is not the virus that causes the disease, but the body’s intense reaction to the flu virus that creates the disease. A cytokine storm as it is sometimes referred as.
Measles is a virus that immuno-suppresses (paralyzes one’s T cells) such that where measles may not kill the child, but some other illness following it (up to two years after) can be detrimental since the body is not equipped to fight it. Children have died from secondary infections following the measles in addition to those that die from high fever or other measles complications. Also, if the measles crosses the blood brain barrier, it becomes a much more devastating and debilitating disease. Some of that relates to the genetic lottery whereby what MHC and other immune molecules your DNA codes for. Poverty also can play into it, as impoverished children are more likely to be exposed to more disease during the period of immuno-suppression.
I agree that life is full of risks and the question becomes what would you rather risk – the disease or the vaccine. However, I think the current MMR vaccine has a pretty good safety record over a long period of time compared to some other things we as humans put into our bodies. In Europe and other parts of the world, the immunization rates are lower and they are seeing many more cases and deaths from measles.
While immuno-compromised individuals are especially at risk, healthy people, children and adults, also do die. I’m not looking to sensationalize the issue like some “news” organizations do. I’m not looking to demonize.
My work has been immunology related over the last 20 years. We certainly know a lot more now than we did about T-cells when I started out in this field, but we continue to make discoveries that allow us to understand the how the human body reacts to different pathogens. Ironically, HIV research has greatly improved our understanding of T-cells during that time…some good that has come from such a terrible disease. It is information that applies to measles and other diseases in addition to HIV. And it has certainly changed the basis of our understanding of immunology.
All I ask is that you keep an open mind and look objectively at all the info that is out there. We as humans tend to surround ourselves with people who think similarly. Sometimes we need to open ourselves up to other points of view and see what other people are thinking. It’s why I continue to read this blog….sometime I agree with things you write, sometimes I totally disagree …but it causes me to dig deeper and challenge what I think and why I think it. 🙂
Best Wishes,
Sharon
Thank you for your comment, Sharon–you bring up many points that I have encountered, and examined, before. I do understand that having a healthy immune system does not equate to being free of disease. Nor does being vaccinated equate to being free of disease (as we have seen recently, with the many vaccinated individuals who have contracted measles). You do not sound unintelligent (!), so I would ask you to also keep an open mind and look objectively at all the info that is out there–I absolutely agree that it is easy to find ourselves surrounded by others who think similarly. I urge you to check out the work of Dr. Tetyana Obukhanych, PhD in immunology. Here is one of her lectures in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dts3ebwWlo. Dr. Suzanne Humphries is also excellent, here is a brief overview of her ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpC0Tbb3diI Take good care, Sincerely, Yolande
Hi Yolande,
Thanks you for the links. I will continue to look through them. I have watched the beginning of the You Tube video. I see that Dr. Obukhanych’s contention is that the herd immunity theory is not consistent with facts. Herd Immunity is one of those theories that is tough to prove or disprove. And in many ways it is used more as a public policy tool. I won’t argue with that.
However, I would disagree with her contention that most immunologists are unaware that vaccines have a failure rate as well as there are individuals that don’t make a response to certain antigens. You have to realize she was a postdoctoral fellow in 2012 which means she received her PhD within a couple years of that. She is educated but that doesn’t mean she’s an expert. I believe that she was naive and didn’t know about that sort of information. Perhaps in her classes they did not focus on that….and her research was more cell and/or in vivo models ( mice and such).
Academia tends to be focused on theory and experimentation to prove or disprove hypotheses. Their work is predominantly in lab assays and animal models. Also, they focus on teaching young student scientists. However, there can be a tendency to over focus on a specialized area and not be exposed to a more greater breadth of knowledge. (Not seeing the forest for the trees, so to speak.)
In a clinical setting, one would have more exposure to the statistics surrounding vaccination in real people. Now that I am watching more of her video and I see she is combining info from one study and using it to correlate data in a completely different study and I would argue what she is showing in invalid. Again….I see naivete.
In doing a Pubmed search I have found she has not published in a scientific journal since 2012. This video is from 2013. I question what is she doing now? Also, I see that she does not have many first author publications in scientific journals. In addition to some b-cell/vaccine research papers, she is a secondary author on a paper regarding a supplement used in children with autism. I’d be curious to know what lead her from immunology based research to small molecule based psychiatric research.
In the science community, one has to be vigilant regarding whether the scientific method has been vigorously followed. Fraud and poor scientific methods can and have occurred. Those that cherry pick their data to prove their personal biases are a danger to the pursuit of scientific knowledge.
This is where I found that she is a post doctoral student and where she collaborated on an autism supplement:
http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/05/antioxidant-shows-promise-as-treatment-for-certain-features-of-autism-study-finds.html
What I see with this individual is youth and naivete….someone trying to connect various studies and make a story rather than showing any of her real research data or her own plans for how to test her hypothesis.
So in short, I would not hang my hat on the things she is speaking on. While there are facts and graphs from what are likely real studies, I do not think her overall story is totally accurate.
When looking at scientific data, as a scientist (and I’m not requiring a degree to call anyone a scientist…we can all be scientists), one has to be skeptical and question the source and the methodology. If one is bound and determined to make connections, one will make connections. But those connections don’t make something the truth or even scientifically valid.
Sharon
Sharon
I love how you appeal to authority, but only if it suits your agenda… Otherwise they’re obviously not educated “properly” (despite the PHD in IMMUNOLOGY). What’s your degree in, pray tell?
Thanks for your comment, Kate. I have absolutely no medical or academic credentials whatsoever. Have a great day.
Sharon, I love how you appeal to authority, but only if it suits your agenda… Otherwise they’re obviously not educated “properly” (despite the PHD in IMMUNOLOGY). What’s your degree in, pray tell?
Sharon,
I would like to address some of your comments for my own understanding.
“Many times disease is caused by an overactive immune system whereby in reacting to some antigen (foreign protein or sugar component of the “bug”) so strongly, the cascade of cytokines (immune chemicals in the body that fight pathogens) causes illness.”
How does this come into play when antigens are mixed with foreign proteins in the vaccinations?
“Measles is a virus that immuno-suppresses (paralyzes one’s T cells) such that where measles may not kill the child, but some other illness following it (up to two years after) can be detrimental since the body is not equipped to fight it.”
What exactly do you mean by not equipped to fight it? it seems the supposition in all these conversations is that our human bodies are inherently flawed and cannot fight back? This confuses me and I’d love some clarification.
” Children have died from secondary infections following the measles in addition to those that die from high fever or other measles complications.”
And they have died from adverse reactions. It seems as though this debate keeps playing racquetball with “what could happen” The disease can cause a, b and c…..and the vaccine can cause a, b and c. It seems that what actually has happened isn’t welcome in the conversation. It’s all the theory and fear that get the most lines in this particular drama.
“In Europe and other parts of the world, the immunization rates are lower and they are seeing many more cases and deaths from measles.”
Ironically we are in the process of becoming expatriates and I found this particular blurb interesting. I am sure all of us count on the idea that we can say something and the facts won’t be checked. Just the way this is written sounds very convincing, but the failure to provide any other data other than “That one continent and several others….proves my point.”
” but we continue to make discoveries that allow us to understand the how the human body reacts to different pathogens.”
As a scientist, I am sure your last 20 years have been fascinating, as we’ve made amazing leaps and bounds in understanding, but I am sure you understand science isn’t a story that has a final chapter. Keeping an open mind includes the willingness to admit that what you do know is but a tiny percent of what there is to know. With so much being said about understanding pathogens, it saddens me that we haven’t made it a priority to study what pathogens do when they are asked to become neighbors in a vial while waiting to be injected into an infants body.
Most people that take the time to think about this aren’t saying the answers are clear. We are saying that the questions have just begun. The very idea that we’ve somehow arrived scientifically is arrogant and misguided. While we want to feel so good about the progress we’ve made, we won’t see the long term affects of this progress until much, much later.
The problem is, we aren’t concerned with the bigger picture. We aren’t worried about a middle age population that is taking unprecedented amounts of drugs just to function on a daily basis. To say we are a healthier society because we eliminated a childhood disease is asinine. It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul….short-term discomfort for long term forfeit of vibrant health.
I do understand the very real threat to those who are susceptible to this disease, but I could never understand the very idea of making an entire population, likewise, susceptible to all the complications those protections ask us to submit to.
The science is just not done on this. Not even close. Even if every scientist in the world was on board with what HAS happened, we simply can’t know what we’ve done until it’s done…..You cannot possibly celebrate an advancement in health until those children who were subjected to the treatment live long, healthy lives and from where I sit, they aren’t even enjoying health in their grade school years. We’re in a mess.
Thank you so much for this, Melissa. You have touched on so many important questions–so many questions still unanswered. Take good care. <3
“My deep concern is that there exists even a *single* person who feels that under *any* circumstances, another person should be forced to consume, inhale, inject *anything* for *any reason*—even if that reason is the supposed safety of another individual. That there would be any circumstance under which such a stricture could be deemed acceptable by any person, by any standard of human right, is a fascist nightmare. We must retain ownership over our own bodies, even if another person or group feels they have a stake in how that body is fed, clothed or medicated. We cannot eliminate the risks involved with being alive.”
Thank you!
love to you and A. <3
There IS real science behind the concern about the current state and practice of vaccination science, and it is by those within and at the top of the orthodox vaccination medical establishment:
Huffington Post: “Why the Press Shouldn’t Dismiss Vaccine Skeptics”
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/lawrence-solomon/vaccine-skeptics_b_4548510.html
If you are actually open to the facts that are not getting reported, read that article. It at least looks at the full picture and present some inconvenient medical facts regarding vaccines.
Thanks for the link! Great info here.
I find the comment that no one under any circumstances should be forced to inject, consume anything they don’t want to even if it is for the safety of another individual to be silly and too broad and grand a statement.
Let’s go crazy hypothetical for a minute and say you are going on vacation or grocery shopping, somewhere that you are being “forced” to be around people.
Now as unlikely as it is let’s say you run into someone with a highly contagious diease that doesn’t believe in medicine at all, they also feel the right they can go anywhere and shouldn’t be quarantined.
Let’s say someone is has a severe mental illness, maybe they are psychotic but they stop taking their pills.
Maybe someone needs glasses to see while they drive but think they can see well enough.
What if someone’s an alcoholic or just enjoys driving drunk. Should they be told they can’t drink? What gives anyone the right to tell someone they can’t drink and drive?
In all these scenerios if these people’s personal beliefs were to cause the death of someone you love, you wouldn’t say ” why was that sick person not quarantined? Why didn’t they take medicine? Why didn’t they wear their glasses? Why were they drinking and driving? Why did that guy take a heart attack while driving? Why wasn’t the murderer made to take pills or be locked up. Why didn’t those parents let their five year old girl get chemo that has a 95% cure rate but instead will take her off and pray for her instead.
it’s easy to say the world’s a dangerous place and no one can be totally protected. It’s easy to say no one should be forced to break their personal beliefs ,until their beliefs jeopardize the lives of your loved ones.
If you grew up in a country or at a time where your sisters and brothers, your friends and your families were dieing of diseases, and you had to live in that horrible existence of fear and see it first hand. Then have someone come along and say ” here’s a needle it will get rid of the diease, no one will get it”
You’d jump at it. People did jump at it cause they lived in the reality of the alternative, and the vaccines worked.
I’ll modernize the scenerios. If tommorrow they said we have a vaccine for cancer. If everyone takes it cancer will be gone. No one will get it. But it only works if everyone takes it. You’d be on the side to say “I’ll take my chance with cancer”
Do I think people should light torches or be mean? No. But I lump you in with the same catagory of people who would take their kids off proven cancer drugs and fight it with prayer and vitimins. Which is their beliefs.
And I respect your opnion and right to say it. It’s brave for anyone to express an opinion in public, I know people will not like what I say. But that’s what makes Canada great. The right to say it.
Yes–you’re right Jamie. There is nothing we can do about a person who may be carrying a dangerous disease and who might then choose to walk around in public. Maybe this person’s disease is incurable, maybe there is no vaccine to prevent this disease. Maybe this person is mentally ill. Maybe this person doesn’t know they are sick. Maybe this person has been vaccinated, but for whatever reason the vaccine didn’t work, or they became sick anyway. It’s a frightening thought. All we can do is protect ourselves as best we can, using whatever methods we feel comfortable with, and hope for the best. Good luck out there 😉
Thank Yolande!
You have articulated here EVERYTHING that I was trying to express to my mother last night. It gets hard sometimes when seemingly everyone, even closest family members, are so strongly against our core values. Thanks for being a positive voice!
I’m glad you found the piece useful Hilary! Thank you so much for your comment, and I wish you and your family the very best 🙂
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/prohibit-any-laws-mandating-force-and-requirement-vaccinations-any-kind/HW1B3YKz
Please sign
Thanks Amanda. Take care.
Parental consent.. yup… versus the greater good or rights of the ‘dictatorship of community’ … that’s a great article there Yolande, found it thru newagora.ca posting this month on facebook… which I departed from, due to the seven year itch… I don’t get their newspaper anymore in the mail .. but the collection I do have from the past year has some great cover art on a number of issues created by your friend Autumn Skye Morrison .. If parents don’t start examining the vaccine issue, such as the HPV debacle where girls are being seriously harmed or dying from their Gardasil shots [series of 3 in school for Grade 7s] they have only themselves to blame… this is serious stuff.
THANK YOU for a well-written and logical message. I posted the message below on my FB page yesterday. I think you will find our perspectives and concerns are very much the same. Even though my daughter is vaccinated, she had none, zero, until she was 15 years old and was going to go spend a month in India with Girl Scouts for a leadership training. She has also spent time in Kenya and Haiti. While I was not crazy about injecting her with vaccines, I felt that the risks of the illnesses did outweigh the risks of the vaccines at her age and with consideration of the levels of healthcare and sanitation in third world countries. My son received HIB, DT and the inactivated Polio at 2, 4 and 6 months and I abstained after that because of the reactions he had – which worsened with each batch of shots. I did give him the MMR at age 18 or 19, after I had failed to ever succeed at infecting him with Mumps as a child. If the Mumps vaccine had been available as a single disease vaccine, I would have done only that. But to contract Mumps as an adult male would carry risks that he and I decided were severe enough to justify the vaccine. We both would have preferred for him to acquire a lifelong immunity through the disease, but it just never happened. At any rate, ignore the haters and know that you are not alone in your position.
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I have to say that anti-bullying attitudes are very ubiquitous these days. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon, from marching in parades, to attending rallies, to wearing tee-shirts that proclaim awareness of bullying. But the bullying I have seen in recent weeks against people who do not vaccinate their children is making me sick.
I read posts that blame the “anti-vaxxers” for all the illnesses in our society, posts that want these people identified, complete with armbands. They want them arrested, sued, and shipped to off to live on their own island. And much of the venomous diatribe comes from people that otherwise present themselves as anti-bullying liberals. They scoff at the beliefs of people who choose to raise their children differently, and they clamor for them to be held accountable. And I can’t help but be reminded of how the Jews were used as scapegoats prior to WWII, and how they were labeled, scorned, blamed and made to pay for the misfortunes that fell on the German people. And not to make light of the persecution of the Jews, but I see a similar vein of distrust and blame brewing that is just as disturbing in its own way.
I don’t think I am reading too much into the way anti-vaxxers are being portrayed as the problem. Yes, unvaccinated individuals can contract and spread illness, but people who have received live vaccines (MMR, Varicella, Influenza, etc.) can also spread illness and they usually show no signs of being contagious. People who don’t wash their hands after visiting the bathroom can spread illness, mosquitoes spread illness, contaminated water spreads illness, lack of affordable healthcare spreads illness, companies that do not allow employees to take sick days spread illness, poor sanitation spreads illness, deteriorating air quality spreads illness, and the pollution of our earth’s oceans, whose contaminated fish and plants we consume, spreads illness. And what problem do we target? Who do we burn at the stake? Parents. Parents who oftentimes have children with lifelong disabilities caused by vaccines.
Don’t tell me vaccines don’t injure people, because they do. They do. Since 1989, the federal government has set aside funds to pay compensation to the families of injured individuals through an act of Congress called the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act. To date, 3,941 awards have been made, totaling $2.8 billion paid to the petitioners and more than $121.6 million paid for attorney’s fees and other legal costs. DON’T tell me that vaccines are safe, because they are not. It does not matter if the chances are one in ten or one in ten million, when it is your child the numbers don’t matter.
Illnesses also kill people, they disable them and they also have lifelong consequences. If responsible people consider the risks of both and choose to vaccinate on schedule, vaccinate partially or on a modified schedule, or vaccinate not at all, that CHOICE is theirs to make. If you fear that these people are a threat to you – that their right to choose stops where it affects you (the famous analogy about them driving on the wrong side of the road is my favorite) then you have no understanding of disease transmission or vaccine effectiveness. You cannot, CANNOT, embrace vaccines as effective and necessary and then turn around and run away from sick people. It is like putting a life vest on your child and watching them fall into the water. It does not matter if they get wet, it does not matter if they can’t swim, it does not matter how deep the water is. If you put a vaccine life vest on them to protect them, there is no super-powerful, anti-vaxxer version of the disease that is going to drag them under the water in their life vest. If you are embracing the science of vaccines, you have to embrace it all and that means not worrying about the diseases. My child went to India when she was 15 and she had vaccines to protect her. She was around all kinds of diseases there – illness is rampant, sanitation is non-existent, and healthcare is limited. She didn’t accuse or blame the people there who were sick because she had had vaccines!
People choose to not vaccinate for a variety of reasons. For some it is a philosophical choice to keep chemicals out of their bodies, others have experienced previous reactions, others have religious beliefs that include not second guessing the immune system God gave us. It does not matter the reason. IT DOES NOT MATTER THE REASON. The only people who have any interest in a person’s possible status in terms of vaccines or illness are people who are immuno-compromised. And again, vaccinated and unvaccinated people can BOTH spread illness to them. My daughter, despite her extensive travel vaccines, cannot receive the flu vaccine. To complicate it further, she is allergic to Tamiflu. She can be infected by an unvaccinated person with the flu OR a vaccinated person with the flu OR a person who received the popular nasal FluMist vaccine. And it doesn’t matter to my daughter who infects her, if she gets the flu, she has to deal with the same symptoms regardless of which group of people gave it to her.
What this all boils down to is that parents who do not vaccinate their kids are not the problem. The problem is massive intolerance and bullying. The problem is that we have turned this issue into a question of right and wrong, instead of one of supporting ALL parents in their CHOICES.
People looked the other way when the Jews were being singled out, people wanted to blame someone in order to make themselves feel better about their lot in life and this is more of the same.
Go home, hug your kids, and think about how blessed you are. If you have a child who healthy, then get down on your knees and thank whoever you believe is out there. If your child is damaged, then may you and your family be healed and blessed. If your child has been lost, to disease or vaccines, then may you find strength and comfort when the relentless debates over vaccines twists your heart into a knot.
Come on people, we are better than this stupid, stupid debate.
If you have bothered to read this all the way to the end – thank you.
God bless, Shalom, Peace and Namaste ~ K. Osborn
Thank you so much for sharing your comment here, Kathy. You bring up many important, and disturbing, points. Thanks for adding your voice to such an essential (and too often unbalanced) issue.
Thank you Yolande… very well said. The vax/no vax debate will go on for eternity without resolve. What should NEVER be debated is freedom of choice. If you are vaxed, the belief is protection from disease through medical intervention. If you are not vaxed, the belief is protection from disease though the body’s own immune system. The vaxed want you to risk potential permanent harm in order to protect their family. The unvaxed risk virus shedding from the vaxed. Everybody takes a risk and nobody wins… it’s just the way it is. However, where everyone wins is by maintaining their freedom to choose the path best for them. I have a serious problem with government taking away our freedom to choose. Government should not have the right to tell me what goes into my body. Although the government has allowed a plethora of toxins and other chemicals to be in the food on grocery shelves; it is still our choice to eat that food or not and make better choices. We all know many people who eat all the processed pesticide laden food and are totally oblivious to the damage happening in their body. We are a very sick society because the food is no longer nutritious. Perhaps that’s one reason there are so many vaccines and many more in the pipeline. Another reason could be the money trail flowing into Washington, D.C.
Thank you for your comment Debbie–I agree! Take good care, Yolande
I really appreciated your post. I am 15 weeks pregnant and have always known I wouldn’t vaccinate. My husband got encephalitis from his DPT as a baby and other family members of mine have also had reactions. We have very valid reasons not to vaccinate. The things people are saying are pretty awful. It feels like bullying. It makes me not want to vaccinate anything even more! I really think that all of this press is going to have the opposite affect they are hoping for. There is no question in my mind we are making the right decision. Thank you again for this post.
Congratulations on your pregnancy Lauren! And thank you for your comment. Wishing you the very best. Sincerely, yo
Thank you for a great article!
Thank you Jill!
Wonderful, articulate article! I had seen the allegations of white privilege, but have never read an article that addressed them. White privilege is a particularly interesting topic to me, as I’m the White mom to two Black kids (through open, transracial, domestic adoption in the US). I may have to quote you (attributed properly, of course) the next time that allegation pops up.
Thank you for your comment Robyn, I’m glad the piece resonated with you. All the best to you and your family 🙂
Thanks for your words, I’m in the same shoes. I’m more afraid of the vaccine then the disease, I have tools at home to take care of minor illnesses and feel confident that I can manage because I work from home and can be with my kids if they feel ill. Sadly not all the parents can do that and having a sick child is more of an annoyance today then anything. We learn to pop a pill to get rid of the symptoms and never learn what to do naturally and effectively supporting the immune system.But playing Russian Roulette with my kids is too crazy.
Also forced water fluoridation is insane, if scientist would study the exact neurotoxin they put in many drinking water systems they might change their mind, but the government saying “sorry we were wrong” will not happen anytime soon
I agree Marlies, thank you for your comment. All the best to you.
Fantastic. This article is so well written, humble and complete. It says everything I feel, leaving nothing unsaid. Excellent!
Thank you for your kind words. Take good care!
I love the simple elegance of this post, along with the lack of defensiveness or righteousness. It’s one of the best posts I’ve read on this subject. The people who misunderstand our choice not to vaccinate are coming from such a fear based mentality that they can’t understand our reasoning. If I am ever confronted head on about this, I am going to refer to the points made here. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear the post resonated with you Steph, and thank you for your kind words. Take good care 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your concerns. I am the mom of vaccine-injured children. Even so, people in my own family have called me “Crazy” for speaking out for parental choice and rights in the vaccine debate. I have experienced first-hand, the profound injuries that can come from vaccines. I began speaking out right away- back in 1998, when we first began dealing with the vaccine injuries. It is good to know that people are listening. I met 2 new parents this year who have refused all vaccines for their kids. I told them to stay strong! There are way too many bullies out there who will keep trying to force vaccines on your family! Way to go!! Keep sticking up for your rights, and keep your family safe and healthy!
I’m so sorry to hear that your family has suffered on account of vaccines Christine, and I thank you for speaking up–it takes a lot of courage, especially in this social climate. Wishing you all the best, sincerely, Yolande
One of the most sensible vaccine articles I’ve read in a long time. Thank you!!
Thank you Angela–all the best to you.
Such a great article Yo! I guess the only point that *I* would have emphasized is the benefit of said dis-ease. When a young child gets the disease, the impact on them is mild compared to an older child or adult. I worry that my kids will get it later in life and really have a hard time of it. These vaccines have a shelf life, you need to get boosters to keep up the “immunity”. We got the whooping cough from someone who had gotten the vaccine, she had cancer and her son was expecting a baby, so it was “highly recommended”. By the time she was over it, she had broken 3 ribs and was so exhausted from the coughing, I thought she might not make itt. My 3 youngest kids acquired it and of course it was not fun and it was exhausting (mainly for me), but they handled it fine. Now I know they will be immune for a lifetime (most likely). Also, children make huge developmental advances after an illness like this. The other thing is you really get to know yourself when you have to struggle through something. I know these ideas will not be popular with most people. How fortunate you are to “get to know yourself” while you are putting others at risk, they might say. I will actively try to infect my kids with the other childhood dis-eases. As I sit here, after giving birth to my baby girl 2 weeks ago, I realize again how incredibly precious life is, but I am willing to take the risks that nature has to offer in a heartbeat over a needle with a bunch of toxins in it.
So true Nat! Thank you for bringing up these very important points. And yes, unfortunately, I think so many people would read this and think you’re nuts and selfish. Grateful to have you on my wavelength, grateful to be on yours <3. xoxo