To vaccinate or not to vaccinate children has for a long time become a controversial and debatable topic among activists as well as parents. Many individuals argue that there are great risks of vaccinating children due to their adverse effects such as paralysis, seizures, and in some cases death. Since inventing the first smallpox vaccines about two centuries ago, there have been debates over the effectiveness, morality, safety, and ethics of vaccines. It has recently been contended whether any laws should be presented that define whether some or all vaccines should be given to children. Health care practitioners, parents, teachers, nurses, and children have a significant stake in this topic. Most parents argue that they should be the ones making the ultimate decision of whether their children should be vaccinated or not. Health care practitioners oppose that position on the basis that by making the rates of vaccination in children incomplete, we expose children to having diseases that can be treated through vaccinations. If this is a risk that parents are willing to take, but other parents face reluctantly, there is an apparent reason for a debate. All children should be legally required to receive vaccinations due to the many benefits they give to their bodies and the people surrounding them.
Controversies over the Legalization of Vaccination in Children
Every parent is concerned about the well-being of their child. However, this concern or worry can take numerous directions. While some parents believe that vaccines were introduced to prevent human-transmitted diseases, which have negative health effects on both children and adults, other parents believe that it is these vaccines that have risks to the health of their children. These parents have reasons to believe in what they do about vaccines. Looking at history, since vaccines of diseases such as measles and diphtheria were invented, the number of these illnesses reduced by more than 500%. On the other hand, in the mid-twentieth century, this was the time when indicators such as healthcare, nutrition, sanitation, and other significant factors of spreading diseases that can be prevented through vaccination have been significantly enhanced. While many people argue that vaccination intrudes the medical choice of an individual, vaccinations have been scientifically proven to be safe, protect community members from diseases and have become a way of controlling diseases (Barnes, Bloom " Nahin, 2008). Due to the many benefits of vaccines, children should be legally required to receive vaccinations especially those attending public schools. Allowing children to attend public schools without being vaccinated should not be allowed as parents will be putting their child and other children at risk of contracting a deadly disease.
Proponents supporting the legalization of vaccinations among children argue that vaccinations can save the life of a child. Due to the improvements in medical science, a vaccinated child can be protected from illnesses compared to a child that is not vaccinated. Some illnesses that once injured or led to the death of many children in the past have been completely eradicated while others are close to extermination due to the introduction of safe and operative vaccines. One condition that can prove the safety and effectiveness of vaccines especially in the United States is Polio. Polio was one of the most dreaded diseases in the US, leading to paralysis and in some cases death, but today, thanks to the Polio vaccine, there are no cases of polio in the United States (Thompson " Tebbens, 2006). Also, supporters of the vaccination process argue that vaccines are harmless and effective. This is because vaccines are administered to children only after they are carefully studied by experts and healthcare practitioners. They argue that vaccines may cause some uneasiness after receiving an injection, but this is minor compared to the pain and trauma caused by the disease these vaccines avert. Severe side effects such as adverse sensitive reactions are infrequent. In almost all children, the benefits of vaccines in preventing diseases are greater than the side effects.
Vaccinations protect other people that we may care about. Children in the US are still being vaccinated to prevent diseases. In fact, over the past few years, renaissances of both measles and whooping cough have been seen. Since the year 2010, there have been approximately 50,000 cases of whooping cough every year in the US and approximately 10 to 20 children, many of which were too young to be immunized, died every year (Lievano at al., 2002). It must be agreed that while some children are too young to be vaccinated, others may not obtain particular vaccinations due to serious allergies, weak immune systems from illnesses such as leukemia or other conditions. To help in keeping these children safe, it is imperative that the parent and the child are fully vaccinated. This will not only protect the entire family but also help stop the spreading of diseases to friends and relatives.
Individuals supporting vaccinations argue that getting vaccinated saves time and money spent by families. A child with a disease that can be prevented through vaccination can be deprived of access to attending child care institutions and schools. Some illnesses that can be prevented through vaccination can lead to extended disabilities and can take a financial toll due to time lost at work, long-term disability care, or medical bills. In contrast, getting vaccinations of illnesses is a good venture that is generally concealed by insurance. The Vaccines for Children Program is a federally financed program that vaccinates children from low-income families at no cost. Vaccination supporters also argue that it protects future generations (Whitney et al., 2014). Vaccines have decreased and eliminated many illnesses that have killed and disabled people years ago. For instance, the vaccination of smallpox eliminated it globally and by immunizing children against diseases such as rubella will decrease the risk of pregnant women passing this virus to their fetus.
Vaccination hesitancy by parents has become a growing concern due to the increased occurrence of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination among children. Even though there are no federal laws put in place concerning the administration of vaccines, every state in the US has set in place laws that dictate which vaccinations are needed for children before starting school. Also, all the 50 states in the US allow medical exclusions for particular patients such as those who are allergic to various components used in making these vaccines. Opponents of the vaccination process argue that legalizing vaccinations for every child will be going against the religious beliefs of some parents. One of the explanations of why parents choose not to immunize their children issue to religious beliefs. With only four states not posing exceptions for families, for this reason, it raises a key problem to those who want to upsurge the rates of childhood vaccination. Religious explanations are different from other explanations because they are connected to the main beliefs of most parents, and it is very hard to discourage these parents from opinions against immunization. These choices cannot be considered the by-products of unawareness but instead the calculated and intentional decision connected to a reliable opinion. Additionally, in contrast to other named reasons for uncertainty, those steered by religious proclamations most frequently are connected to a comprehensive rejection of all vaccines.
Opponents also argue that vaccination of every child should not be legalized due to personal beliefs or philosophical reasons. Personal beliefs or ethical reasons are another primary reason why some parents refuse or delay in immunizing their children. Although very few states permit exceptions for this cause, it must be studied cautiously, as it may outline chances for physicians to inform parents concerning the need of safeguarding their children using defensive measures. Even though it may seem contrary to human instinct, some individuals view some advantage in having their children get particular diseases that can be prevented. Some individuals believe that natural immunity is healthier for their children than immunity attained from vaccines. Others believe that when their children get a preventable disease, it will be advantageous for them in the long term, as it will make their immune system resilient as they grow to adulthood. Some individuals argue that the diseases that are vaccinated are not very predominant hence their children have a lower risk of contracting preventable diseases. Due to this reason, they also believe that the adverse impacts of administering vaccines are more than their benefits. Many people do not view preventable diseases as serious and would prefer not to inject more chemicals in the bodies of their children. Others think if children have healthy lifestyle and meals they are at lower risks of attaining preventable diseases.
Challengers express the lack of support for legalizing vaccination among children due to concerns on the safety of vaccines. These worries are based on the information these parents hear from the media or associates. In spite of whether this information comes from the internet, television, or from other individuals such as family and friends, most people are continually shelled with opinions from other people about vaccinations. As a result, all this information becomes overwhelming for some parents to understand how vaccines work, making it challenging to make their own decisions. Many of the opinions and reports that barrage the thoughts of parents and cause doubt are directed to the safety of using vaccines. According to Fredrickson et al., (2004), most parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to what they hear from other individuals and the media. Stories in the media are often exaggerated to provoke high ratings and sometimes focus on rare cases whereby a child suffers from unpredicted side effects of a vaccine. Media platforms that cite problems with vaccine components and report that these components cause brain damage, autism, and behavioral problems make parents become more cautious and raise more concerns concerning the safety of vaccines. Some parents are against the timings made for these vaccinations. This is because they fear that continuously administering vaccines in the body of their children may overload the immune system of their children. They also believe that allowing all vaccination to be administered in the stated time may make the well-being risk of their children greater. As a result of this idea, many parents prefer to suspend administering vaccines to safeguard their children. While some people may see this as a lost opportunity, others believe that delaying vaccination of their children is better than not getting vaccinated at all. Most individuals believe that the negative impacts of vaccines are more widespread than what their doctors tell them and that the risks are greater than the benefits of vaccines to their children.
Looking at the arguments presented, it is important to bring together particular rules linked to vaccination and not make this topic the privilege of a certain private or public school to decide whether to accept an unvaccinated child or not. The vaccination issue is of key significance due to the direct impact it has on the duration and quality of life of every individual. This is because exposing any individual to the inexcusable risk of being infected by diseases is considered inhumane. Vaccinations have a long history as it is believed that they already existed in China, Greece, and Babel. Since vaccines have been around for a long time, and have been used for many diseases, it is sound to consider them as an effective method of preventing diseases. Today, vaccines are used all over the globe, and particular ethics must be followed so that all vaccines stay in effect and pose fewer risks. If the individual to be immunized is not sick or has not been ill recently, has a healthy immune system, and is immunized with a quality product, the risk of acquiring undesirable consequences is less than 1%. The efficiency of protecting the health of an individual as a result of vaccination is higher, which makes the risk defensible. Therefore, it would be right to put an end to all debates by endorsing a binding law countrywide to make particular vaccines mandatory. After all, when it comes to the health our children, there is no room for assumptions.
References
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Fredrickson, D. D., Davis, T. C., Arnould, C. L., Kennen, E. M., Humiston, S. G., Cross, J. T., " Bocchini, J. A. (2004). Childhood immunization refusal: provider and parent perceptions. Family Medicine-Kansas City-, 36,
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Lievano, F. A., Reynolds, M. A., Waring, A. L., Ackelsberg, J., Bisgard, K. M., Sanden, G. N., ... " Smith, P. F. (2002). Issues associated with and recommendations for using PCR to detect outbreaks of pertussis. Journal of clinical microbiology, 40(8), 2801-2805.
Thompson, K. M., " Tebbens, R. J. D. (2006). Retrospective cost‐effectiveness analyses for polio vaccination in the United States. Risk Analysis, 26(6), 1423-1440.
Whitney, C. G., Zhou, F., Singleton, J., " Schuchat, A. (2014). Benefits from immunization during the vaccines for children program era-United States, 1994-2013. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 63(16), 352-355.
