There's nothing like a good vaccine debate to end a mommy friendship. But a fight brewing at a school in Billings, Montana over an HPV vaccine clinic is a good reminder to the anti-vax crowd that they can disagree with us ... but boy do they need us.
Tabatha Pearson claims the Gardasil vaccine caused her elder daughter's infertility. It's a rumored side effect that hasn't been supported by any investigation by the Centers for Disease Control, but OK, fair enough, she's a concerned mom looking out for her own kids. That makes sense.
What doesn't make sense? Pearson is trying to shut down a clinic that would provide a life-saving vaccine for other fifth and sixth graders in her local community at a fraction of the cost.
That's right. She isn't just opting her own children out of the vaccine that prevents several cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus. She doesn't want any other parent to be able to make the choice to protect their children.
Kind of ironic coming from a crowd that spends a whole lot of time whining that it's unfair for us pro-vax parents to want them to GET their kids vaccinated, isn't it? Which is it? Do they want freedom of choice or do they only want freedom for their choice?
Parents like Pearson spend a lot of time fighting for the "right" not to vaccinate their kids. But what they forget is those of us who do opt to protect our children with these life-saving medical advancements are doing them a huge favor. Our kids are good for her kids!
It comes down to simple statistics. You may have heard it called the "herd immunity." It's what protects kids who are immuno-compromise or legitimately allergic to something within a vaccine. The more vaccinated kids there are in a community, the easier it is for the unvaccinated kids to eke by without catching something ooky. If my kid is vaccinated against a disease -- be it HPV or the chicken pox -- she's one less person who can give it to her kid.
It's bad enough, frankly, that the more unvaccinated kids there are, the more the vaccinated kids whose vaccines didn't work entirely (yes, vaccines are imperfect, this pro-vaxxer will readily admit that ... ) and all those other kids who need the herd immunity are put at risk. At the very least, the anti-vax crowd can give us pro-vaxxing parents the right to protect our kids ... and theirs.
Where you do fall on what other people do with their kids?
Image via Andres Rueda/Flickr
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Comments 70
Soreana___What's your view on Polio? Measles? Whooping cough? You feel kids should HAVE to deal with these diseases rather than give them a small dose of a dead virus so they can build an immunity without all the dangers associated with the full blown disease? Ever see the effects from Polio? It is sad and sickening. I vaccinate because I love my children enough to not want to make them suffer if they come in contact with these diseases when we travel.
Sigh. Again? Really? Not all vaccines are created equal and for most people, it's not an all or nothing approach. I will not get gardasil and my daughter won't be getting it as long as I am making medical decisions for her. I don't really agree with this mom's push to shut down a clinic though. Don't lump people who are against certain vaccines all into one group. It is not that black and white. I have no idea why it's so hard for some people to understand that.
Also: She isn't just opting her own children out of the vaccine that prevents several cancer-causing strains of the human papillomavirus.
It might prevent a few strains of HPV, not all the strains, and it's not a guarantee.
sorranea, try visiting another country where they don't have access to vaccines. Ever see a polio cripple? Someone scarred from mumps? Someone die of typhoid? It's comforting to me that most Americans are responsible enough and educated enough to vaccinate. My SON will be getting the hpv vaccine when he is older. It protects against the most common strains and the ones that are responsible for most cases of viral caused cervical cancer.
I vaccinate of a delayed schedule. What other people decide to do with their children when it concerns this is THEIR decision. Unless it is TRULY life threatening then who am I (or YOU) to judge?
I vaccinate on a delayed schedule, but NONE of my children (one boy and three girls) will be this particular vaccine. It is untested and has too many possible negative side effects. The way it is advertised is also misleading. It helps to prevent SOME strains of HPV which CAN be a cause of cervical cancer....it is by no means a cure or the only prevention for cervical cancer or HPV.
Heck yeah, I vaccinate my kids! But I also pass on Gardisil.
And I am glad that "so many people have been convinced" to be vaccinated. It is good to not have to worry about things like polio, or tetanus or diptheria. Soranea, take a look at someone who got polio "naturally." Believe me, post-polio syndrome doesn't make you stronger. It is painful and debilitating and robs people of their independence. Go see someone with this, then come back and tell us that that individual has the "wool" over their eyes. I see folks with this condition all the time and they are very grateful that their grandchildren have access to vaccines.