Vaccination

I should preface this by saying I studied and currently work in public health. So you should know how this is going to go.

I believe in vaccines. I believe they prevent common, deadly diseases. I also believe they've made those diseases so much less common that people have forgotten that they're deadly.

I believe they have side effects sometimes. Aches, fever, drowsiness... But not autism. In reality, the science never showed that and the single study that linked them has been discredited.

There is absolutely nothing that anyone could say about vaccines that would make me not vaccinate by child. I would not be able to forgive myself if she died from a disease that was preventable if I just respected the best scientific knowledge available. I would not be able to forgive myself if chose not to vaccinate my child and she got sick and infected another child who was still vulnerable.

At the end of the day, it is my heartfelt and genuine belief that parents who choose not to vaccinate for reasons of conscience (not for religious beliefs or genuine medical issues like an allergy to an ingredient) are not acting out of good conscience. They are rejecting solid scientific evidence and they're selfish. They are relying on me and most of the people they come into contact with to vaccinate and therefore form a protective bubble while at the same time, they increase risk to my infant daughter. Some children truly cannot have certain vaccines or are too small to be fully protected and those people rely on all of us to get vaccinated and reduce their risk. Protecting those who can't protect themselves is the right thing to do.

There are a lot of variations in parenting that I respect. Some differences I even really enjoy. Let's face it, we all know someone doing a way better (or at least more elegant or effortless job than us. But I can't find anything to like about science-rejecting, non-vaccinating, selfish, public health hazard parenting. Not anything.