Preview

Argument Against Vaccination Controversy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1900 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Argument Against Vaccination Controversy
There are many issues in regards to the controversy on vaccinations. Vaccinations were made to protect people from diseases, that could otherwise cause illness or potential death. There are many arguable topics but the most important is, should an individual have the right to deny needed vaccinations, or should vaccinations be mandated. This topic has been a huge debate in recent years. There are individuals that believe that an adult or child should be up to date on their immunizations, due to avoiding possible illnesses to return. When others argue that it should be their right to deny vaccinations all together, due to believing immunizations are harmful and could hurt them or their children. This paper will examine whether being …show more content…
Dr. Andrew Wakefield conducted an experiment in regards to vaccinations. His experiment had caused him his license and he was convicted for the misleading of people to believe that vaccinations were harmful and caused autism. “The fact that so many individuals were at risk for the disease because of their lack of vaccination is a significant threat to public health in the United States. This trend originated from parents fearing that the vaccine could cause autism. In 1998, British researcher Andrew Wakefield suggested in a published report that the MMR vaccine triggered autism. This study was determined to be fraudulent in 2011, and the article was retracted by the journal. However, its influence remains strong despite widespread press coverage and discussion. Many parents of autistic children still believe that autism is directly linked to vaccines and their preservatives, including the mercury-based thimerosal that was the original topic of the study by Wakefield. Thimerosal was removed from vaccines following the study in 1998 to try to reassure parents that the vaccines were safe. Despite this removal and the debunking of the study by Wakefield, many parents continue to fear that vaccination could cause autism in their children. (Pierce)”. “The article discusses an outbreak of measles in southwest Wales that some connect to claims made by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in the late 1990s about an alleged link between autism and immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). At the time, many parents reacted by refusing to get their children immunized. Between November 2012 and early July 2013, 1219 new cases of measles were reported in southwest Wales. (WHALEN)”. The medical board felt that the experiment made by Dr. Wakefield was not relevant and that he had to be removed for making people believe something that was not true. “The UK researcher who

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    Throughout the United States, infant vaccination continues to be a highly controversial and pressured decision that parents must face upon their child’s birth. In order to maintain complete objectivity, multiple viewpoints must be critically analyzed and explored in an unbiased manner; therefore, I will examine the positives and negatives regarding adolescent vaccinations, provide general viewpoints and solutions to the debate about which infants should receive vaccinations, and supply the data required to support the arguments relevant to each side. The first viewpoint suggests that infant vaccinations should be heavily regulated due to alleged medical ramifications and adverse side effects. Many Americans support this ideology, including parents and various physicians who firmly believe that infant vaccinations induce medical complications instead of preventing them. The second viewpoint is known as selective vaccination, which is a supported by most American parents and various doctors, who affirm that parents deserve the right of authority over their child because the child’s best interest trumps obligatory immunization. The third viewpoint suggests that some U.S. parents and medical professionals advocate mandatory vaccination in order to protect infants from illnesses; thus, ultimately striving for widespread public health.…

    • 2276 Words
    • 66 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This article discusses the controversy of vaccines in American society. From the source of the ideas that caused the issues to the discredit of the person who “poisoned the well”, this article was very thorough. Ms. Lemmons has experience as a freelance writer on well documented topics and has provided her work to several well known publishers. This article was intended for the educated person exploring the rumors of vaccinations benefit being outweighed by the risk. The author is very neutral in her writing. I appreciate her stance and use of fact to support her claims. Stating only the fact that can be documented…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vaccines Pros And Cons

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Imagine living with smallpox, rabies, polio, and other fatal diseases running rampant. Imagine the fear instilled in daily life because of those diseases and that there are no cures or prevention methods. Fortunately, we live in a time with vaccinations. Vaccines save millions of lives each year, have eradicated smallpox disease, and substantially lessened the chance of contracting other diseases. Vaccines are considered to be one of the greatest medical achievements. However, whether to vaccinate or not is a steadily growing debate, as there are no US federal laws mandating vaccination, certain vaccines are required for public school with a few exemptions, parents ultimately have the choice whether to vaccinate or not. Although, vaccinations…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People are current taking action against vaccinations and joining the anti-vaccination movement. Although research proves anti-immunization increases disease rates, parents stand firm in their believe that their children should not be vaccinated. This paper briefly discusses the reasoning behind their notion and the substantial fact about vaccinations. It then provides facts behind their judgment and consequences of…

    • 58 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Case of MMR In 1998, The Lancet published a paper by Andrew Wakefield. The paper claimed to show links between the triple measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism and colitis disorders (Wakefield, Murch et al. 1998). The claims that the vaccine was not safe slowly grew in momentum, gaining mass coverage on the media and resulting in a drop in the number of MMR vaccinations. However an investigation by the journalist Brian Deer found that Wakefield had conflicts of interest (Thesundaytimes.co.uk 2004) and had distorted evidence.…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Largent addresses how the amount of trust the public places on researchers and program runners in the vaccine industry determines the success of immunizing children (136). Largent comments on the previously mentioned Jenny McCarthy, famous for her time as a comedian and model, whose advocacy of the anti-vaccination movement has “Solidified her position in the community of parents of autistic children, and further publicized her assertion that vaccines are one of the principal causes of autism,” (145). Although she is not medically qualified to speak on the topic, she is trusted and influential enough to spread the fear of vaccinations to parents all over America. Furthermore McCarthy, just as countless other authoritative figures in the media, blatantly disregarding the reliable scientific data proving her assertions incorrect (147). Adam Burgess compares the concept of McCarthyism, action of accusing someone or something without any evidence, to the behavior of figures in media such as Jenny McCarthy, as an “alarmist authority encouraging mass anxiety,” (334). Celebrities' influence dominates discourse online as well. While the internet's ability to spread information faster than anything else has always worried scientists, several analyzes show that despite the abundance of…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vaccines are responsible for minimizing the risk of many deadly diseases and even eradicating some completely. People today are privileged enough to live during a time where the fear of dying from a disease like measles or smallpox is negligible. Even so vaccines are not without dissenters. There is a segment of humanity that believes there is a credible association between vaccines and rising autism rates. The following articles will show that there are varying ideas on the best way to disprove vaccination opponents, yet no solid solution has been reached on how to convince vaccination opponents that their fears are unfounded.…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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 been around 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. Although all public schools require immunizations, there are still children in the schools whose religion exempts the use of vaccinations. The goal of this paper is to further explain…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The fight against vaccines has become controversial however arguments against mass immunization should be evaluated so that a good understanding of this controversy can be had. There are three main arguments against the mass immunization of children and babies. Firstly, It is argued that vaccinations can have harmful side effects on children. Secondly, it is argued that laws requiring mandatory vaccinations infringe upon an individual’s liberty and freedom of choice; and finally, mass immunizations a law, violates religious freedom. According to Omer et al (2009) approximately 69% of parents are more concerned that vaccines could cause harm to the health of their young children than they are with the other issues. The CDC does, in fact, publish that vaccines may have side effects for example a reaction to the varicella vaccine can range from a rash to a severe infection (CDC, 2010). No specific evidence exist, however, to support the claim that vaccines predispose children to other disease such as type 1…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe everyone should be vaccinated in their life and here is why. Vaccines cause your immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies without causing the disease itself. Today, more than 20 serious human diseases can be prevented by vaccination. For some diseases, you need to be vaccinated only once in your life. For other diseases, such as measles, tetanus, and influenza, you may need to be vaccinated at regular intervals.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vaccination Argument

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A last major political goal for our party is to mandate vaccinations for our children. In a recent poll, 28% of voters voted no in their children being vaccinated for preventable diseases.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years there have been many things that have threatened children. One of the biggest threats to children has been disease. The human race has worked and fought to prevent children from dying of these diseases. With great strides, this goal has been met with the creation of vaccines. Though many people think that vaccines are a good idea, there are also others who don’t believe in vaccinating their children. In the best interest of children and everyone around them, vaccination is a great way of preventing and eliminating diseases.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some people are strongly against vaccinating their children. They feel it is unsafe and can even lead to autism. There have been many reported cases where vaccines have actually done a lot of harm. As the amount of vaccines being administered to children has risen, so has the percentage of children with autism. This is ground-breaking evidence to the anti-vaccine movement. They assume that the more vaccines a child receives, the higher they go up on the autism spectrum. It is believed that a child starts to show signs of autism around the time they are receiving an abundance of vaccinations. In addition to autism, they claim that it is too dangerous to inject infants with such harsh viruses and bacteria. They can not fight this off properly,…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Vaccination Arguments

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To think that a vaccine can save a community is to believe that a single grain of rice can end world hunger. Sure, if everyone was to be vaccinated, perhaps there would be a difference. However, the reality is this is not the case. Several people believe that kids who are not vaccinated impose health threats on kids who have been vaccinated. This belief is flawed because the kids with the vaccines are the ones who are bringing the viruses into our schools. The vaccines carry the very virus that they are supposed to protect kids from. An additional factor that must be considered when looking at the big picture is that the superintendent's forcing parents to get their children vaccinated is the groups that fail to do so.…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vaccinations are a way to combat illness that have caused great harm in the past. Many different types and methods have been tested and used for almost a thousand years, from flu shots to Polio vaccines, it has protected people from contracting these viruses. Hundreds of thousands would be dead if it were not for this preventative care. However, many people choose to opt out of receiving this medical treatment by choosing to abide by other personal beliefs. All people should receive vaccinations of harmful diseases despite religious background or personal preference.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays