Should 'personal belief' vaccine exemptions be allowed?

"Responding to an outbreak of measles that has infected more than 100 people, two California lawmakers said on Wednesday they would introduce legislation to end the right of parents in the state to exempt their children from school vaccinations based on personal beliefs."

"California public health officials say 92 people have been diagnosed with measles in the state, many of them linked to an outbreak that they believe began when an infected person from outside the country visited Disneyland in late December."

"More than a dozen other cases have been confirmed in 19 other U.S. states and Mexico, renewing a debate over the so-called anti-vaccination movement in which fears about potential side effects of vaccines, fueled by now-debunked science, have led a small minority of parents to refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated."
(Source)

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Should parents be allowed to exempt their kids from school vaccinations because they "personally believe" discredited claims about side effects? Why or why not?

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Permalink Reply by Unseen on February 8, 2015 at 3:10pm

Get something (exemption), lose something (may not attend schools, go to public places, etc.).

We may not be able to view anti-vaccers as just cranks anymore. They are a threat to public health.

Permalink Reply by Ed on February 9, 2015 at 9:11am

Let me throw a wrench in the works for a moment. What about the significant group of citizens who home school their children? Should they be required to subject their children to the battery of vaccinations even though they don't attend public schools? Should the home schooled children be allowed to participate in such secular activities as youth baseball programs where they are coming into contact with others? 

If the non-participation by anti-vaxers can be shown to demonstrate a public health hazard for our communities in general then legislation, criminal or otherwise, is required. The ramifications are too serious to ignore.

Permalink Reply by Davis Goodman on February 9, 2015 at 11:05am

No. Parents should be obliged to vaccinate their children for essential vaccines.

Just as a parent is obliged to bring in their child to the hospital if they've broken their neck.

It's only because of religious woo, a history of religious exceptionalism, anti-vax-nuttery and some post-modern concepts of bodily autonomy that we give parents a little more leeway over vaccines. Somehow not inoculating your child is different to not making them wear a seatbelt or other simple basic obvious rational clear-cut safe and reasonable preventative measures. Somehow not giving your child safe and essential preventative treatments is less important than giving them emergency treatment.

Nonsense. They should all be inoculated regardless of what school they go to or how useless their parents are. Not doing so is allowing parents to abuse their children because of their selfish, deluded stupidity. And worse it puts other children at risk.

Permalink Reply by Ed on February 12, 2015 at 8:39am

I agree that the decision carries a great deal of responsibility. To the anti-vax parent they believe they are protecting their children by not participating in vaccination programs. They are misinformed unfortunately.  

Permalink Reply by _Robert_ on February 13, 2015 at 7:28am

"my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

We seem to value specific knowledge over a well rounded individual. I was chatting with some intelligent younger people a few weeks ago; their lack of knowledge about recent history and geography was shocking to me.

Permalink Reply by Davis Goodman on February 13, 2015 at 5:18am

Yes. And the mother of the Canadian girl who died of Cancer thought she was protecting her daughter by stopping the chemo and sending her to a woo-clinic in Florida. 

The  two cases contrast only in the likelihood of death. Otherwise there is absolutely zero difference.

Permalink Reply by Unseen on February 9, 2015 at 11:54am

Let me throw a wrench in the works for a moment. What about the significant group of citizens who home school their children? Should they be required to subject their children to the battery of vaccinations even though they don't attend public schools?

No, but it should be illegal for their kids to go where people gather. Their parents' house will be the bubble in which they should have to live.

Permalink Reply by Ron Humphrey on February 13, 2015 at 7:42am

Absolutely

Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on February 9, 2015 at 5:29pm

Should they be required to subject their children to the battery of vaccinations even though they don't attend public schools?

Presumably, the children also attend other densely populated places such as malls, church, playgrounds, etc. Disease is not only transmissible in school.

Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on February 9, 2015 at 3:06pm

   People’s “personal beliefs,” insofar as they hurt society and the health & safety of other people should never be given even the slightest respect.  And that includes religious beliefs.

Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on February 9, 2015 at 5:20pm

I think they should be able to say no to vaccines, but then they should also be barred from entering any populated area. If you want to be a part of society, get vaccinated... if not, there's the (metaphorical) door.

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