The Pros And Cons Of Immunisation

Immunisation is an area in preventive healthcare where a small difference could significantly improve the health of the whole community. Making full immunisation a pre-requisite for children beginning school in New Zealand could benefit the whole community, but on a large scale affects some major ethical principles, making it a very controversial idea. The main issue currently present in New Zealand today is that those who can get immunised are not, therefore putting those who cannot be immunised at an increased risk of getting a disease that could have been prevented.

Immunisation is discussed and argued over throughout New Zealand. Everyone has different beliefs and opinions based on personal traditions, morals, and religions, influencing
Autonomy, allowing people the freedom to make their own decisions, and utility, maximising the benefit to harm ratio, both come into effect with pre-requisite immunisation. The idea of pre-requisite school immunisations in New Zealand would largely maximise the benefit to harm ratio as it would not only protect the children who got immunised but protect those throughout New Zealand who are unable to be immunised. The dilemma with this is that although it would maximise the benefit to harm ratio, it would significantly clash with autonomy, in that it would take away the freedom of choice of whether people want their children to be immunised. When respondents of the survey were specifically asked about this dilemma an almost exactly fifty-fifty result was recorded, with 42 people (50.6%) saying compulsory immunisation would be a violation of freedom of choice, and 41 people (49.4%) saying it would
One solution could be to provide backed up information and more education based on immunisation for New Zealanders, for example why they are beneficial, how they work, and what effect it would have if everyone who could be immunised were. Another solution could be to provide incentives for people who do get immunised, such as making all immunisations for children before school free, reduced or no healthcare costs when it comes to fees related to vaccinations and the diseases they are for. These solutions would benefit justice and autonomy, as people are still allowed the freedom of choice on whether to immunise or not, but are still largely encouraged towards immunisation and its health benefits. It also treats everyone fairly, as no matter who they are they would be entitled to any immunisations and the incentives if they were to be immunised, and it would not have an effect on the child’s rights to education. Although having compulsory immunisations for children starting school would be very likely to increase the immunisation rate, having partial immunisation, for example making only very major vaccinations compulsory, rather than full immunisation would benefit autonomy and justice more, and could be an effective way to introduce the idea of compulsory vaccinations before school. As people have more of a say in whether