Vaccination Persuasive Speech

Vaccines save lives. It is an undeniable, irrefutable fact. And while I understand that vaccination is a very topical and controversial issue, I simply cannot comprehend the decision to go without these life-saving vaccines. Vaccinations are the world’s greatest medical achievement and have saved millions of lives since their inception. They overwhelmingly contribute to the prevention of the spread of disease, and offer protection to both those who choose to vaccinate and also those who physically cannot. However, a widespread fear of vaccines has developed in society through the spread of distorted or entirely false information by misinformed ‘anti-vaxxers’. Therefore, I wish to present the facts about vaccinations, to guide the unsure or
History has shown us that vaccination has managed to completely eradicate the very infectious small pox disease. Furthermore, vaccination has contributed to the decline in a number of other diseases including polio, whooping cough and diphtheria. In the process, approximately three million lives have been saved each year, according to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. And while many of you may think that these deadly diseases are history, that they are now so rare that vaccination against them is unnecessary, I am here to tell you that you could not be more wrong. In fact, the only flaw in vaccination appears to be their own success at defeating disease. People are lulled into a false sense of security due to the rarity of these diseases, however if vaccination rates continue to decline as they are currently, the probability of an outbreak will increase dramatically. By choosing not to be vaccinated, you are effectively increasing the risk that you will contract these diseases, you are increasing the risk that you will become ill, you are increasing the odds of
For example, there are cases where the immune deficient, old, ill or allergic cannot be vaccinated against these dangerous, yet completely preventable, diseases. So how are these unfortunate individuals protected from infection? Quite simply, they are protected by a concept called herd immunity. When approximately 95% of a population is immune to a disease, the likelihood of the spread of this disease drops to such a low level that the small proportion of unvaccinated individuals are also protected. It is our responsibility as human beings to protect the sick, vulnerable and elderly. By not vaccinating, you are effectively putting these defenceless individuals at greater risk. How could you live with yourself if the most vulnerable individuals in society die from completely preventable diseases? How could you live with yourself knowing that you indirectly contributed to their death? I, for one, simply could not and it is for this reason that everyone who physically can must be