Requiring vaccinations is a highly debatable topic in the United States today. An article by Ronald Bayer, “The continuing tensions between individual rights and public health,” is one of the most reliable sources in the case study. The author has a PhD from the University of Chicago and focuses his research on issues of social justice and ethical matters. Bayer has also previously been a consultant to the World Health Organization on ethical issues related to public health. This makes him very knowledgeable about the topic and a highly credible source.
Also, it is stated that unvaccinated people should have a harder time to opt out of being vaccinated by having a higher health care cost, higher insurance, and separate activities. All of those are over-exaggerated for this issue because, they all call for the government to intrude into people’s personal lives and not giving people the freedom of their rights. In addition, some people do not get vaccinated because of religious views, but it is stated that they can opt out if their religion is documented. So, what happens to the people that become sick and are not vaccinated and cannot afford health care? They could possibly spread a new disease that vaccinations do not cover and puts vaccinated and people who are not vaccinated at risk.
What are the rights and responsibilities of parents with respect to immunization of their infants? When it comes to immunization of an infant, there are rights and responsibilities as a parent. The parent has a right to refuse vaccinate of the infant. One should explain just how important it is to get an infant vaccinate.
Given that the parent has the complete right to decide for their newborns (since newborns are not capable of making the decision for themselves), should that individual be allowed to not vaccinate their newborns? Mill would most likely respond that the individual is free to not vaccinate their child unless it harms other people. Before we ultimately discern Mill’s position on whether society has authority over the individual’s decision in this case of vaccination, we must explain why there are anti-vaccination groups prevalent in societies today. The main issue anti-vaccination groups have with vaccines is that anti-vaccination groups believe that the substance called thimerosal, which is found in trace amounts, contributes to the development
Mandatory school vaccination is one of the most intensely debated issues in society. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have vaccination requirements for children to attend public school. Each state, including the District of Columbia, requires vaccinations for students in public elementary and secondary schools. However, there is no federal mandate for the vaccination of public education students. Proponents of mandatory school vaccinations would like to see that changed.
Analysis Health Restrictions To begin, in this journal Diekema informs families and American educators about the problem’s parents have with vaccinating their kids for school requirements because people believe they have a right to do want they want to their children. This journal focuses on the issue of vaccinations for school requirements. Diekema states “All but two states allow personal belief exemption for legal vaccination school enrollment”. Some parents choose not to inject their kids with diseases.
Lastly, how should the pediatrician address the parents who refused to vaccinate their child? These questions have been set to ensure health care professionals perform their medical duty required of them along with ensuring no harm is placed on the child. The primary focus should always be the welfare of the child. Compulsory immunization laws in the United States “have been found constitutional even for cases in which the laws conflict with the religious beliefs of individuals.” What happens when choosing not to vaccinate can lead to others contracting deadly disease from those unimmunized?
If people begin to decide to opt out of vaccines, they not only make a decision that leaves them susceptible to dangerous and deadly diseases, they open up the rest of their civilization to contamination. When taking into account whether or not to vaccinate your child, you are making a decision not merely for your child, but a decision for all of the other children your child comes into contact with. Un-immunized kids can endanger a whole community. When deciding whether or not to vaccinate your child, you need to see the whole picture, and not just a little sliver of possibility. We have seen how it is far more dangerous to opt out of a vaccine, than it is to receive one.
Regardless, there is no retributive justice, or punishment for those who choose not to vaccinate. The government understands that the goals of the community may not resonate with every family, and they are willing to make exemptions. The incredible accessibility of the vaccination program and the numerous resources demonstrates a clear will to enable everyone to vaccinate their
As a mom, I have always made sure my son was up to date with all of his vaccinations and never thought twice about it. I think now a lot of parents are thinking about what they allow their children to be injected with and many refuse to ever have them vaccinated. It is all up to what they believe is best for their kids and if that makes them feel like their child is safer then more power to them. However, when an un vaccinated child gets a disease that could have been prevented with a vaccine, and then comes in contact with an infant that is still way to young to receive any form of protection, that is when the issue starts.
Many people may think that vaccination is a bad thing, that instead of preventing it causes illness, that is not natural. Natural or not, there are many reasons as to why we should vaccinate us and the younger generation. Most of the time children don’t like vaccination because it hurt, but is the responsibility of a parent to seek the wellbeing of his or her child. Vaccination it’s a preventive measure of various diseases. Unfortunately, things like the anti-vaccination movement, the misinformation on the Internet, and the believe that vaccination causes more damage than is worth, have led our society to think that it’s right not to vaccinate.
Every person has the right, but if they are going to harm the rest of the human race just because they do not vaccinations I do not agree with that. I do believe that vaccinations are a good thing and should be
Vaccinations When it comes to vaccinations, there are many different opinions on immunizing a child, especially when that child’s parent has a strong like or dislike towards vaccinating. Immunizations have existed for at least a thousand years and as technology advances more, there are new vaccines being designed to help protect our children from contracting contagious and sometimes deadly diseases, such as Bordetella pertussis, polio, and even influenza. For decades, all 50 states have required that parents vaccinate their children against various diseases, including polio and measles, as a prerequisite to enrolling them in public schools (Ciolli, 2008). Enrollment in public school requires up to date vaccinations in order to protect the children and even the adults from contracting and spreading a disease, possibly causing an epidemic.
In every case where compulsory vaccinations were challenged, the Court upheld their constitutionality because they do not infringe on any rights. Notably, in Prince v. Massachusetts, the Court ruled that mandatory vaccines do not violate freedom of religion (Chemerinsky, Goodwin 606). In fact, the Court ruled religious exemption clauses as unlawful, since they only apply to students of a recognized denomination, as concluded in Brown v. Stone and Davis v. State (Chemerinsky, Goodwin 607-608). Furthermore, mandatory vaccines do not infringe on religious freedom because, “no matter how much a law burdens religious practices it is constitutional under [Employment v.] Smith so long as it does not single out religious behavior for punishment and was not motivated by a desire to interfere with religion” (Chemerinsky, Goodwin 609).
Vaccines are like traffic lights; they ensure the safety of the public, be in heavily crowded areas, like schools, or densely trafficked roads. Traffic lights only work when all people follow the rules. If a car runs a red light, the car runs the risk of killing innocent pedestrians who are complying with the prescribed rules. Vaccines, if not utilized by most people, are ineffective. Even though some parents are concerned over the safety of vaccines, children who go to public schools should not be granted exemptions because vaccines are necessary to prevent outbreaks, children who do not receive vaccines are at risk of disease, and medically compromised children rely on vaccines to prevent disease.
