Children are the future. That is why it is important for them to receive the best healthcare as possible. However, there are some questions as to what is included in the best healthcare, including whether or not it is safe for children to be vaccinated. Questions arose when an article was published with alarming results that indicated vaccines could be the cause of autism in children. The disputed article lead to many anti-vaccine movements. However, there are more resounding evidence that disproves the relationship between vaccines and autism that can’t be ignored. The study, published by the Lancet in 1998, conducted by Dr. Andrew Wakefield ignited a controversy in the medical world. 12 children believed to have developed autism participated in a study that reviewed their medical histories and evaluated their developments. They were reviewed for any underlying biological/physiological factors that could affect the child’s health. The results of his study implicated vaccines as the cause of intestinal dysfunction and …show more content…
McCarthy used her celebrity influence to reach out to a broad audience. Others, however, used various social media such as Facebook to spread the words about vaccines. In a study conducted by Dr. Rachel Buchanan and Dr. Robert Beckett, it was revealed that most Facebook pages relating to vaccines were bias: 43% of which were anti-vaccination, 50% were pro-vaccination, and a measly 7% was identified as neither; 52% of all the pages did not follow CDC/FDA recommendations (Buchanan & Beckett, 2014). The anti-vaccination web pages embodied Jenny McCarthy’s position in the debate. The anti-vaccination pages were active overall, being utilized to share medical advices (i.e., parents taking their children’s health in their own hands rather than seeking out professional medical advice). The study also suggested that these pages were more popular than the pro-vaccination