Benitez 1

Gracely Benitez
English III
Period 3
4/04/15
Vaccinations Debate
Since the development of the first smallpox vaccine there has been plenty of
controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccination and
immunization. Whether or not laws should be introduced to make some or all vaccines
obligatory for children has become a controversial topic. Why should my child get
vaccinated? Could it be just a waste of time and money? Could it cause my child to
develop autism? The Center for Disease Control, states that 40% of American parents
refuse one or more vaccines for their children. With this in mind, it is evident that the
benefits and risks involved in vaccination continues to be a significant public health
issue today. Many parents oppose vaccination for several reasons, such as religious
beliefs. However, vaccination is the most effective way to keep people healthy. For
instance, vaccination prevents disease by avoiding the proliferation of germs such as
bacteria or viruses within the body, thus strengthening children with weak immune
systems.
Paragraph #2 (Talk About How Many People in the U.S Vaccinate, & How Many
People Dont)
( *Define Autism in own words* ) Autism is the number one reason. A metaanalysis of ten studies involving more than 1.2 million children reaffirms that vaccines
dont cause autism. If anything, immunization was associated with decreased risk that

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children would develop autism, a possibility thats strongest with the measlesmumpsrubella vaccine. (New Meta Analysis). New Meta Analysis clearly states that
vaccinations dont cause autism, the false information that parents are receiving just
makes them more paranoid than they need to be about their child. Numerous studies
have found no link between vaccines and autism (a developmental disorder thats
characterized by mild to severe impairment of communication and social interactions
skills). Likewise, a groundbreaking 2004 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM)
found that thimerosal (an organic mercury compound thats been used as a preservative
vaccines since the 1930s) does not cause autism. (Ed) If parents understood the real
consequences of their child not getting vaccinated then they would see how much harm
their child can create not only to themselves but to others as well.
Deciding to not get vaccinated is a personal choice but once it can harm others
then it becomes a public matter. Those who are vaccinated arent guaranteed to be
100% safe from a disease, it just means that they have a less chance of getting the
disease, so if a child who is unvaccinated comes into contact. The things that have
been done in order to help with children getting vaccinations arent much. There is no
U.S. federal vaccination law, but all 50 states have laws requiring children to be
vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (generally in a DTaP vaccine);
polio (an IPV vaccine); and measles and rubella (49 states also require the mumps
vaccination, generally in an MMR vaccine). (Should Any Vaccines Be Required for
Children) Having a child get vaccinations isnt only for their safety but for other children
as well.

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(*Paragraph 4 Religion, Explain which religions dont allow people/children to get
vaccinated & why*) A court in Philadelphia ordered kids to be vaccinated against their
parents will in Philadelphia. But across the city, hundreds more were sick. So Ross and
his colleagues did something unprecedented: They got a court order to force parents at
Faith Tabernacle to have their children vaccinated. Ross says it was the right thing to
do, because it was in the best interest of the children. But it was deeply traumatizing to
the parents. "I recall we lined the children up and gave the immunizations, and many of
the parents were actually weeping," he says. The court order had taken a few weeks.
By the time t he vaccines were administered, the measles outbreak was subsiding in
Philadelphia. Only nine children from the church were ultimately vaccinated, and Ross
says the intervention probably didn't affect the spread of the disease. In the end, nine
kids across Philadelphia died, including six from Faith Tabernacle. The church is still
operating the school today but declined to comment. Some experts say it's rather
surprising that the parents were forced to have their children vaccinated. "There was a
law that protected these church members' right to refuse vaccination on religious
ground," says Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia. But the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled years earlier that
parents cannot deny life saving medical treatments to their children for religious
reasons. That ruling set a precedent that made it difficult for Faith Tabernacle to find
legal representation. (qtd in Kelto) *Explain.*
(Paragraph 5 talk about other reasons parents chose not to vaccinate their
children, *parents & children afraid of needles & personal beliefs*

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(Paragraph 6 define public health danger, ex: measles outbreak, also NYC
schools now able to ban students who are unvaccinated, *we as a country should be
able to have this law applied to all 50 states, money that can be saved, what is being
done)
All children should be vaccinated in order to protect the health of others around
them. Why worry about the unvaccinated? Vaccines are not 100% effective and those
who choose to get them are just less likely prone to getting the disease. ( Vara) During a
disease outbreak a child who is not vaccinated increases the chance of contracting a
disease to those around them. Like how it was mentioned, those who are vaccinated
are not also 100% protected from a disease, there is always that chance of getting it.
Many problems arise *Finish Sentence*

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Works Cited
Vera, Christine. "Why Worry About the Unvaccinated?" S hot of Prevention. N.p., 12 Apr.
2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://shotofprevention.com/2011/04/12/whyworryabouttheunvaccinated/>.
Parker, Amy. "HealthNut Parents Didnt Vaccinate Me. This Is What My Childhood Was
Like." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <h
ttp://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/01/growing_up_unvaccinated_a_healthy_lif
e style_couldn_t_prevent_many_childhood.html> .
Kelto, Anders. "Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will."
Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will. NPR, 19 Feb.
2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015 <.h ttp://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/19/386040745/whyacourtonceorderedkidsva ccinatedagainsttheirparentswill>
"New Metaanalysis Confirms: No Association between Vaccines and Autism." A utism
Speaks. N.p., 19 May 2014. Web. 3 Apr. 2015. <h
ttps://www.autismspeaks.org/science/sciencenews/newmetaanalysisconfirmsnoasso
ciationbetweenvaccinesandautism>
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vaccines and Immunizations." Centers for
gggggD isease Control and Prevention. 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <h
ttp://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac/gen/why.htm >
Ed. Joseph. "Frequently Asked Questions About Immunizations." The Nemours
Foundation,
01 Feb. 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2015.
<h ttp://kidshealth.org/parent/system/medicine/fact_myth_immunizations.html>
"11 Facts About Vaccines." 1 1 Facts About Vaccines. DoSomething.org, n.d. Web. 3
Apr. 2015.
<h ttps://www.dosomething.org/facts/11factsaboutvaccines >
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). "Community Immunity
( "Herd Immunity"). N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <h
ttp://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/index.html>
"Vaccine Development, Testing, and Regulation." History of Vaccines RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 31 c cccM ar. 2015.
<h
ttp://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/vaccine/development/testing/and/regulat
i on >

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"ShouldAnyVaccinesBeRequiredforChildren"ProCon.orgN.p.,
n . d . W e b . 3 1 M a r . 2 0 1 5 . <h ttp://vaccines.procon.org>

Vaccination Outline

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1.

Should Vaccination of All Children Be Made Mandatory by Law? (Intro)

2.

Prove vaccinating doesnt cause autism

Analysis of 10 studies involving more than 1.2 million children reaffirms

that vaccines dont cause autism; MMR shot may actually decrease risk
autisumspeaks.org

Ed. Joseph. "Frequently Asked Questions About Immunizations." The

Nemours
Foundation

<http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/medicine/fact_myth_immunizations.html>

If you don't get vaccinated, you could have serious health issues when
you grow older.
Amy Parker Slate.com 3. What has been done?

No US federal vaccination laws exist, but all 50 states have laws requiring children to be
vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (generally in a DTaP vaccine);
polio (an IPV vaccine); and measles and rubella (49 states also require the mumps
vaccination, generally in an MMR vaccine). "Vaccines ProCon.org."
Why A Court Once Ordered Kids Vaccinated Against Their Parents' Will Public Health Vaccines Npr.org
4. What should be done and why?
Children should be vaccinated in order to protect the welfare of other children. Why
Worry About the Unvaccinated? Christine Vera, ShotOfPrevention.com
5. NYC Schools Are Now Allowed To Ban Unvaccinated Kids, Rules Federal Judge.
Sabrina Bachai, MedicalDaily.com