Choice

Frank Bruni of the New York Times wrote an article The Vaccine Lunacy that I both agree with and disagree with.

You see I had my children vaccinated when they were little and I get vaccinated myself when I travel off to spots in the world that have diseases I'd rather not have to contend with. So I have no problem with the immunization process. I think a disease free world would be wonderful.

What I take exception to is mandatory immunization, parents and individuals should always be able to make a choice if they want or don't want this protection. Even if it means we have to contend with kookie-faddy and unfounded reasoning as to why not vaccinate.

Apparently the rise in the recent measles outbreak is because too many in the outbreak areas have forgone vaccinations and the result is a surrendering of "herd immunity" that worked in the past to protect the unvaccinated as well.

"It used to be that unvaccinated children in America were clustered in impoverished neighborhoods; now they’re often clustered among sophisticates in gilded ZIP codes where a certain strain of health faddishness reigns. According to a story in The Hollywood Reporter last year, the parents of 57 percent of the children at a Beverly Hills preschool and of 68 percent at one in Santa Monica had filed personal-belief exemptions from having their kids vaccinated."

The beliefs of individuals must be respected even when they are based upon boutique ideals, it is a risk that goes hand in hand with freedom. The war against this battle must be waged with accurate and concrete arguments for vaccinations and not with tougher mandatory immunizations .