I am sure you have all been on Facebook, and you have seen those arguments between moms about vaccines.
One group is advocating for vaccinating their children, saying that it results in immunity from harmful diseases. Another group says that vaccinating your children is wrong since you need to let nature take its course and that it causes autism. Below I have constructed 10 reasons that a person might say that they oppose vaccines. Vaccines are scary, unknown things with pointy needles attached to them, and they are not talked about often enough in media.
Read these ten reasons to get an insight why people are opposed to vaccines.
1. Chicken pox and measles aren't so bad.
WRONG. When you get chicken pox, you are covered head to toe in one giant itchy rash. In addition, you will most likely have a fever, a headache, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue, just to name a few symptoms. Measles will also give you a fever and a sore throat in addition to a red skin rash.
2. Living in an iron lung for the rest of my life looks like fun!
WRONG. You are constantly laying down on your back for all hours of the day with a machine helping you move your lungs to breathe since the polio virus has paralyzed your lungs. Lorenzo Wilson Milam wrote in 1984 that his sister "talks so that you can barely hear her, [and] she talks on the exhale, because she cannot talk on the inhale . . . which means that her sentences are interrupted fifteen times each minute." Why would you want to live a life like this?
3. Vaccines cause autism, duh. It's not like this statement has been scientifically disproven or anything.
WRONG. The American Academy of Pediatrics have compiled a list of evidence that backs up the fact that vaccines do not cause autism. This myth was created when some concerned people found a scientific study that showed vaccines caused autism. In reality, the scientists behind the research were found guilty of data manipulation.
4. Vaccines are full of mercury that will poison our kids.
WRONG. Vaccines are not full of mercury. This is just another myth created by people to scare them off, saying that thimerosal is what gives kids autism. In reality, thimerosal, or mercury, is no longer used in vaccines except in some flu shots. However, there is only a minimal amount, and there is no real scientific data that links this substance to autism.
5. They also contain "mystery chemicals," and I don't want to inject my children with chemicals.
WRONG. There are no "mystery chemicals" in vaccines. Scientists and researchers have heavily tested and made sure the vaccines are safe before they go onto the market. Just because you do not recognize some big fancy names that are in a vaccine (such as albumin and glycine) does not mean that they are unknown and dangerous. Read here to see what simple ingredients make up a vaccine.
6. Needles hurt!
Yes, they do hurt, but they do not hurt as much as having your entire body paralyzed by polio, or seeing your children suffer and potentially die. Do us all a favor, and suck up the pain and phobia for just a couple seconds. I hate needles, but I get all my vaccines anyways because I would rather have a pinching pain than get a serious illness.
7. I have never been vaccinated in my entire life and I am fine.
You probably have never gotten polio or chicken pox because a majority of the population around you has been vaccinated. Since they are vaccinated, they are immune to the illness and are not spreading it around the community. However, if someone who has polio were to come into contact with you, you would 100% get polio. Not getting vaccinated is like taking a gamble with your life.
8. I once read that a guy who got a vaccine ended up paralyzed. I don't want to take that chance.
WRONG. The chances of having a reaction to a vaccine are about 1 in 1,000,000. As you can see, the chances are extremely slim, and you have a higher chance of contracting an illness if you don't get vaccinated. Some people may even say they won't get vaccinated because a family member had a reaction. This logic is incorrect; think of it this way...your father is allergic to a certain antibiotic, but that doesn't mean you are also allergic to it. This concept applies to vaccines.
9. There is no such thing as polio anymore, so I don't need to get vaccinated.
WRONG. Polio still exists, although it is extremely rare (thanks to vaccines). The number of polio cases went from 350,000 a year in 1988 to 27 cases a year in 2017. To completely bring the number of cases a year to zero, everybody must be vaccinated. The 27 people who contracted polio were not vaccinated. Look at the facts, and vaccinate yourself.
10. Doctors are just trying to profit and earn money from vaccines. They also do not know a lot about vaccines.
WRONG. Doctors did not go through 8 years of medical school just to have you tell them everything that you have researched about vaccines from google and Jenna McCarthy. They went to school all this time to help people get better and to prevent illnesses. Do us all a favor, and leave the medical knowledge to the professionals.
NOTE: The title of this article and the subheadings are satirical, in case you haven't figured it out.
