Edited to add: I wrote this back in 2007. I have since come a long way regarding vaccinations. Therefore, I feel it’s my duty to link to this update. I am now militantly pro-vaccine. I find Jenny McCarthy to be dangerous and awful for what she has done. I went on to have three children, ALL of whom have been vaccinated. If I had my way, I’d make it mandatory. There you have it.
————————
Jenny McCarthy has been popping up everywhere lately. I have seen her on several talk shows and then this week she was on Larry King Live promoting her new book Louder Than Words. The book is about her son’s autism and how she basically put it into remission.
I know what some people are going to think after reading this post. Some folks are going to think, “Oh great, Michele has gone off the deep end. She’s become a full blown freak, willing to put her son’s health at risk over a bunch of speculation.” I say, why stop now? I love getting hate mail! No, seriously, I’m not making irrational decisions or doing anything over-the-top at all. I’m merely thinking about my options at this point because the whole vaccination situation has me concerned. For example, right now, I’m very wary of injecting my son with any vaccination containing thermisol or any other potentially damaging preservative commonly found in vaccinations. Hell, I’m even frightened to inject him with a virus as minute as it may be. I worked my ass off during my entire pregnancy to make sure he didn’t come in contact with anything that could potentially harm him. And I don’t intend to throw that all away now. Perhaps, had I given birth to a daughter, I wouldn’t be as concerned. (Males are three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism. Folks who believe vaccinations are the culprit think that’s because estrogen protects a child better than testosterone.)
(From CDC Web site).
“Currently, CDC recommends vaccination against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. Because some of these vaccines have to be administered more than once, a child may receive up to 23 shots by the time he or she is 2 years of age. Depending on the timing, a child might receive up to six shots during one visit to the doctor.”
That’s a lot of vaccinations/boosters to administer to our most vulnerable.
I am left with a hundred questions. Is a 2-year-old’s immune system able to handle that many vaccinations? And when they combine them, can that bring out unforeseen side effects? Who’s to say what happens to a child’s immune system when confronted with a combined vaccination or a single one for that matter? Can we safely say that each vaccination is going to affect every child the same way? Because until they can absolutely guarantee that, I will question the governments requests.
Statistics show that most vaccinations are perfectly safe for most children. And I realize that vaccinations are there to protect our children from life-threatening illnesses. I’m not saying that we won’t vaccinate Emory. But I want to ask my pediatrician the right questions when and if that time comes for us. I don’t want to walk blindly into this, agree to everything just because our government says I should. (A week ago, that’s exactly what I would have done.) Also, just because it’s statistically safe for most children doesn’t mean that it’s going to be safe for mine.
Tobyjoe and I aren’t stupid. We won’t deprive Emory from what he needs. But the United States vaccination process has me concerned. We just want what’s best for our child. We want to make the correct decisions for him. And, if for some reason they do eventually link autism (or any other neurological deficit) to vaccinations, I will never, ever be able to forgive myself.
And so it begins. Tobyjoe and I have exactly one year to research the living hell out of the vaccination situation. And I can only hope that before our time comes things will feel safer. And people like Jenny McCarthy are helping this along. Perhaps by the time we have to face the inevitable, they’ll have figured out why autism is so prevalent in our culture today. (Currently, 1 in every 150 children have autism in the United States. That sounds like an epidemic to me.)
And who knows, maybe by then they’ll have a vaccination for autism.
I read this yesterday:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-thimerosal_27sep27,1,117684.story
I applaud your research. Plus I can go back and read your archives when I get knocked up.
Amen,
I could have written that post word for word.
I will not allow mercury into my child’s body knowingly.
I am giving vax on my own schedule. Spread out which seems more sane to me.
To parents who say I’m jeopardizing their kids health…no I’m not, get your kids vaccinated then my kids being or not being vaxxed won’t affect yours”.
Ah, excellent point on that last bit, Meghan.
Shit is really scary. I was less terrified during my pregnancy about having a healthy baby than I am now about this.
Hey, mind my asking you to email me your schedule? Do you have research done one when you plan to give them these vaccinations?
The good news is IF we decide not to vaccinate in time for kindergarten, every state but Mississippi and West Virginia allows for religious and/or philosophical reasons to pass.
I hate to write this because I know I will be slated, mocked…
I started my son at two. A doctor told me about the blood brain barrier and how it isn’t developed until the.
I thought about what disease he was most likely to encounter/have serious consequences with. Because of where we live he has had HepA and polio ( not live)and dpt. I couldn’t find single ones here so i just did the triple.
I fudged his school registration. Will I burn in hell?
M
No, you won’t burn in hell. i am pretty sure you are not alone at all. I am willing to be that happens all the time. I am seriously thinking about becoming a Quaker (have wanted to for a while now) just incase I need to pull out the religion card.
Funny story.
i was vaccinated and boostered for the measles when I was a youngin’. I got it again before college. Anyway, about four years ago, right when we moved back to NY from SF, I got sick. It seemed like a cold only this time I had a rash on my torso. Since we didn’t have health insurance at the time, I visited some strip mall type place one afternoon. I paid the guy 70 dollars to tell me I had the measles. I told him he was insane. That there was no way since i had been vaccinated for this. I had my mother to back me up. Still do.
So, i left thinking that was money well spent. Hack.
Anyway, fast forward three years later. I go to my OBGYN to have my blood work done anticipating a future pregnancy. Everything came back normal. However, she informs me that my many measles vaccines were no longer valid. SO! I did have the measles, That guy was right after all.
But here’s the deal. I was vaccinated at least three times for that illness. Apparently, you have to keep going and going. Anyway, I haven’t gone to get another vaccination for it. Not sure I ever will. We’ll see.
But the point is, isn’t that messed up? What does that mean? Does that mean the viruses are changing to fight our vaccinations?
As someone who diagnoses Autism on a regular basis, I feel I should at least weigh in.
First, the 1/150 children statistic can be a little misleading because that does not mean that 1 in 150 children have SEVERE Autism. The “Autism Spectrum” is call that because there can be a HUGE range of severity from a kid that is just a little quirky to a kid who sits in a corner and rocks back and forth all day. The increase in diagnoses does not necessarily mean that more kids are developing Autism, just that more kids are being diagnosed. 15 years ago, most of the kids who are now diagnosed as “high functioning” or “mild” (Autism, Asperger’s, PDD, NOS, and so on) were just thought of as weird or difficult kids. I am sure every one of us can think of a person they knew in school (or know now) who would probably fit the criteria, but were never diagnosed.
Second, Autism is not something to be afraid of and not something that you have a lot of control over as a parent. Whether you decide to vaccinate or not, that is your decision, but if the only reason not to is because there might be a slight chance of possibly developing Autism, do you want to take that risk of your child actually developing a disease that could kill him? If you have to pick your battles, I’d choose the potentially lethal ones (and the ones where a direct causal relationship is proven). The vaccine theory of Autism is widely disputed and not the only possible cause. So, even if you keep Emory away from vaccines, the risk of developing Autism is still there (and still very rare).
I think I have been a little long winded, so I am going to shut up now. Research the vaccine issue and see what you find, but remember that there is no one sure identified cause of Autism (and Autism isn’t something to be afraid of…).
cyn – don’t feel like you’re being long-winded! real conversations cannot happen in soundbites, despite what the networks and pols want you to believe ;)
I think examining a schedule, prioritizing vaccines based on threat, and ensuring that heavy metals aren’t tossed into the mix is a good process towards which we’ll work.
The schedule given by the CDC isn’t at all individual, obviously, and there isn’t a single medical decision I have or will ever make that isn’t individually-tailored. That isn’t to say we’ll scrap it all or accept it all. It’s just a matter of responsibility and due diligence to thoroughly engage the subject. Not doing so is an abdication of responsibility, IMO.
Oops! Sorry about the typos.
I just want to make it clear that I am not for (or against) vaccines and I think what you decide to do is your own decision as a parent.
There is no longer thermisol in vaccinations, except for sometimes in the flu vaccine. Just FYI.
That being said, we still are spreading out our daughter’s vaccines, at 18 months, which is totally supported by our doctor. Particularly because we have seizures in our family history, which can be a side effect. Even without that knowledge, however, I had decided to spread them out. Their systems are SO little and I just felt a lot of shots would overwhelm it. We have had few side effects (even the common ones such as fever or crankiness) doing it this way. We basically went every month instead of every two months during the first year.
Also, are you aware they start vaccinations at two months? You are going to have to contend with this issue sooner than you think.
Oh, and don’t worry about being long winded at all. Please. that’s what I want. Conversation/healthy discussion.
I do know that vaccinations aren’t the cause (if a cause at all). I think they may act as a final straw or tipping point for an already existing problem. I do know this much, agreeing to ALL the suggested vaccinations is not something I will agree to. That is far too many injections for such a small child. I think it’s excessive.
I saw Jenny M on Larry King Live too. I almost emailed you….but then I didn’t. Thought you might be creeped out hearing from someone you don’t know.
My brother just had a baby and his fiance (a nurse) was questioning the whole vaccination issue too. I believe someone she knows her and is a doctor on the other side of the country told her to NOT give her son one of the vaccinations (of course I can’t recall which one right now). She explained the very thing that Jenny M. was talking about on Larry King; how certain vaccinations may “trigger” autism.
Anyway. I’ll ask her about it again and let you know what I find out. I’m curious to see if she vaccinated and if so….which ones?
Any or all info welcome.
also, i dont mind getting email! even mean ones sometimes make me laugh.
(typing w 1 hand. baby in other.)
I like your post Cyn. What you said is very similar to the discussions we used to have in our Maternal and child Health classes at school. (I am just now finishing up my degree Public Health, with a concentration on Maternal Child Health.)
It can really be hard to decide what to do with the whole shot situation. I had no problems letting Isabel have them until she had the vaccine for the chicken pox. Back in 2002 it was fairly new and our Dr. suggested giving it to her. They said that she could have a mild reaction and perhaps even come down with a very mild case of the Chicken Pox. Oh how I wish that would have happened. She ended up with a severe case. I felt so bad as she was covered head to toe with these red ugly welts. I felt like the worst mom in the world.
Now that my other daughter, Aubrey, has turned one, I haven’t exactly decided what to do about that one. My Dr. has been very good about spacing out the shots for her. She said we could delay that one, but I am still not sure if I am going to allow that one.
I used to be very pro-vaccination knowing what kind of disease are out there. It doesn’t help that I got all sorts of background knowledge they gave us in school. But at the same time I am not at all sure about if I want my child to have the same reaction her sister did when she got the chicken pox shot.
Being a parent is the hardest job in the world!
Hey Guys,
I think the best thing you can do is be informed and make sure you have a Dr who is not extreme in either direction and willing to work with you no matter what course of action you decide to take.
Our dr was really patient and accessible when we had questions and was willing to work with us to come up with a solution that we all felt comfortable with.
Thanks to everyone who posted thus far, all great and valid points.
Sad thing is michele, we do everything we can to protect the health of the baby in utero only to release them into a world where we have very little control over their health and well being. I feel like it is the old bait and switch routine. Robby Benson had the right idea.
OK, let me reiterate, we are NOT NOT going to vaccinate Emory. We are going to get him vaccinations. I am just not sure of which ones yet. I have already received numerous email from folks thinking we’re going to go clean.
I also know that vaccinations aren’t the sole cause of autism. I know this. Promise.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my post. I am just cautious. I was cautious all throughout my pregnancy and I intend to keep it that way. Hell! I wouldn’t even drink a diet coke when I was pregnant. I even avoided almost all caffeine.
Also, that last sentence was a joke.
Please know that I’m not going to make bad decisions. Also, we’re not researching shit via the Internet, we’re particularly avoiding all messageboards and the like. I promise.
Sorry, I’ve been receiving email leading me to believe this post was taken the wrong way.
“I have already received numerous email from folks thinking we’re going to go clean.”
Ignore mails from people whose reading comprehension skills somehow miss my stating above that we don’t plan to scrap them all.
I think that you are absolutely right to think about this. Parents need to be educated on vaccines and the risks as well as the benefits to decide what is best for their child.
I’m not sure the differences between vaccinations in the US and Canada, so I can’t really say much about those in the US. But in Canada, the schedule is 4 shots at 2 months, 3 at 4 months, 4 at 6 months, 4 at 12 months, and 3 or 4 at 18 months. My son is not yet 18 months, so I’m not sure about those ones.
I was not going to have him immunized for chicken pox, until his family doctor told me that a few children out of every 100 with chicken pox need to be hospitalized, and some die. So, we got that shot too. However, I skipped the flu shot, I don’t get that one myself, and don’t think it is as necessary.
Oh, and they don’t use mercury in vaccinations in Canada anymore.
i? am one-hundred-and-fifty percent behind you on your – and tobyjoe’s – concerns. and i have no child(ren) (yet). and this is before i saw jenny on oprah.
p.s. do NOT believe/follow what you read on the internet! including what i’m writing! follow what’s in your hearts, in your brains, in your doctors’ brains, in the cdc’s writings, in the researchers’ findings, etc. while peoples’ opinions are nice and helpful, they did NOT give birth to your genetic offspring, they don’t have to raise him, and they don’t know and lovecherishadore him. YOU DO. follow what YOU know. love.
Hi Michele,
Speaking from experience, vaccines and autism are one of the most hot button and debated parental issues, as I’m sure you’re about to learn if you haven’t already. Almost 3 years ago, I was in your exact same situation. My son was a newborn and I started to research and learn as much as I could about vaccines. The vaccine that is most debated is the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), which is typically given at 12 months if you follow the “normal” schedule. Some doctors try to give it as young as 9 months and some wait until 18 months. There is a lot of interesting, conflicting and terrifying information out there about the MMR vaccine. There are a LOT of parents who believe that the MMR vaccine triggered or caused autism in their child. On the other side, there are a lot of doctors/medical researchers who say no.
Like you, I am not anti-vaccine. That said, I believe the US schedule is overly aggressive, and I strongly advise you to develop your own schedule that spreads vaccines out more. My son received all of his early vaccines – they get them at 2, 4, and 6 months – on time because I hadn’t really started my research at that point. (A tangent – A trick I learned from a nurse is to take a small bottle of water with sugar in it for the shots – give the sugar water right before the shots. My son never cried early on because he was distracted by the sweet water. You, however, will cry.)
At the 9 month check up, no shots are generally given. At that point, I started to question his ped about the MMR because I was reading more and more about it. She is very much a believer in no autism connection, but admitted that she received very little training in autism in med school (and she’s only about 36 so she hasn’t been out of school that long). At the 12 month checkup, I flat out refused to give my son the MMR. He got 2 other shots that day, but I wouldn’t sign for the MMR (the MMR and chickenpox vaccine, which are both scheduled for 12 months must be given within a certain period of time to be effective so he didn’t get that either). I continued to do my research and decided I was going to give him the MMR as 3 separate shots and space them about 2 months apart. Trouble is/was – it is very difficult to find someone who sells the shots separately (travel clinics sometimes do), you have to make sure that the shots you buy were made in the U.S. and are thimerosol free, and you need to be aware that insurance likely won’t pay for you to purchase the shots (in some cases you can’t buy them individually, but have to buy in a lot of 10). You also need to make sure that your ped will administer the shots and record them for you for the official medical records. (Another tangent – I have learned that you are supposed to make a vaccine journal and every single time you get a vaccine for Emory, ask to see the label and record the manufacturing information – lot number, date, etc.)
As it turns out, around the time I was trying to buy separate MMR shots, there was the mumps outbreak in the Midwest – so I couldn’t find a mumps vaccine. So, in the end, my son got the combined MMR shot when he was 19 months old. I made sure he was absolutely well – no cold or runny nose or compromised immune system. I made sure that he got no other shots at the same time, and I cried like hell before I signed the form and prayed like hell after. Of all of the shots he has received up to this point, that was the only one that caused a reaction. He got very sick – high fever, lump at the injection site, very irritable, rash. Fortunately he is absolutely fine now, but I wonder what could have happened if he had gotten this shot at 12 months in combination with 3 others. (An interesting note – the viruses in the MMR are all live viruses and in some autistic children live measels have been found in the intestinal lining/gut – I think Jenny McCarthy talks about this in her book.)
Sorry for the long post. Bottom line – trust your gut. I will send you some of the blogs/links I’ve found if you’re interested.
As the wife of a doctor, I have to weigh in. Yes, there are risks with getting vaccinations, but they exist for a reason. The problem with a new generation of parents saying “well, I’ll decide for myself” is that this places the potential for any number of these diseases that have been essentially eradicated (in the industrial world) to return.
As more and more kids don’t get vaccinated, or get “selectively” vaccinated, then the risk rises for any given disease to spread. Imagine a child or adult immigrates to this country – to your area, to your neighborhood – with some disease. That’s a nightmare scenario for your child, who would then pass it on to all of the other kids not vaccinated.
These guidelines are in place for a reason! Worldwide health organizations mandate them for a reason. It’s not just some privatized health system trying to get money…it’s mandated in countries with socialized medicine as well. Doctors are not stupid; researchers are not stupid.
Finally, I think it’s a bit selfish NOT to vaccinate your child. Maybe it’s a kind of personal survival thing, but not vaccinating your child has the potential to jeopardize many other children. What a “problem” for people in the the richest country in the world…do you think kids in Central America, India, Africa even have the luxury of being vaccinated?! And it is a luxury. These zones are precisely where the diseases run rampant.
And – I realize that most posts aren’t saying NO to all vaccinations…but saying “we’ll decide which ones” or “our own schedule” misses the point of the vaccinations. They have been scheduled as such for a reason – a well researched reason.
It’s not just the US either: I would say most of Europe is the same. You receive Hep B at birth, then 8 at 2 months, 7 at 4 months, the same 7 at 6 months, then 15 months, 18 months, then 4 years.
Lowy,
I guess that all depends on what research you buy into.
Meg
I realize this is off-topic, but I thought I could inject (no pun intended) a little levity: 10 years ago, did any of us think that Jenny McCarthy could have jump-started these discussions?
Michele,
You are so brave asking people’s opinions on breast feeding, CIO, jabs. I think you even mentioned circumcision once or twice.
Are you a glutton for punishment? You need to discuss now the family bed, motessori schooling, and spanking!
I love this site.
Circumcision is off the table entirely. I have very raw beliefs about that one!
I am glutton for punishment indeed! Or maybe I’m just looking to push a few buttons here and there. Judging by the tone of some of the comments here (and email I have received) I know that I have.
Also, I must repeat, contrary to what some may believe Toby and I are not stupid. We are going to make wise decisions where our son’s life is concerned. Selfish? You better believe it.
I said/wrote it before, I’ll say it again: WE ARE NOT NOT GOING TO VACCINATE EMORY. We’re just going to be very aggressive with how we do so, where we do it, who we do it with and when we do it. Or, what Cleo wrote. (Thanks, Cleo!)
Lowy, you come off as a very opinionated person! Dinner at your house would require brining a large bottle of Pepcid.
Sandy, no, I never would have guessed a sexy Jenny McCarthy would have started such an uproar. And it’s only just begun.
I think I figured it out. It is the double negative, Michele. It confuses people.
I love the argument that your unvaccinated child is a risk to those who are. Why because some vaccines are ineffective? If you vaccinated your kid, shouldnt you have some confidence in the vaccine to do its job or is it just another means to make you feel like you are a responsible parent?
I also love how people are so willing to put all of their trust in gov’t departments, CDC, FDA, to make the right decisions. People thought thalidomide was a good idea too. Oh and how about asprin to kids who have fevers (my aunt died when she was 4 from what would become known as Ryes.)
We used leeches, draining humors and all kinds of good stuff back in the day thinking it was the right thing to do. If we do not question, who will?
Rachel
I think I may still believe in leeches. Definitely I think maggots are good in some medical circumstances.
I’m going to start looking into leeches…
I also believe companies make money off of vaccinations. Bottom line profit.
Lobbyists do a whole hell of a lot to get things done in Washington. And they don’t always have good intentions.
I have learned not to totally and completely trust the government through the years.
I’m not one of those freaky conspiracy theorists, but the government isn’t perfect. Not by a long shot.
Don’t they still use maggots for some folks? I think they do!
I put my thought process on this in a post last month – I’m just going to shoot you the link rather than repost it all here:
http://kaiseralex.com/2007/08/28/here-a-shot-there-a-shot/
It has the adjusted schedule in it as well – Hope it helps. Email me if you want any more info –
(and Jenny McCarthy showing a brain? Yeah, it’s kinda shocking.)
Michele-
1)
This line is the best summation you have written: “Statistics show that most vaccinations are perfectly safe for most children.” Most are safe for most people, and that gets FDA approval. But there are edge cases, and that is something to worry about. You should feel good about realizing that “most/most” dichotomy—a lot of people thing approval means “This is good for everyond.”. It’s not.
2)
This is a personal belief, but I’m adamant in advocating it: NEVER TRUST YOUR DOCTOR. Just because someone is a doctor doesn’t mean that they’re smart or an expert in health. Don’t let an MD degree fool you, and don’t trust someone just because the practice medicine. If someone says “Well I’m a doctor” or “My doctor/friend who practices medicine says…” the correct response isn’t to listen with attentive ears, its “so fucking what? show me your credentials and CV.”
Being a doctor means that you went to med school, you passed some certifications, did your residency & rotations, and occasionally take a refresher course. After med school, your education is limited to journals, pharmaceutical sponsored conferences and sell-ins, and the occasional refresher. ( though it is different in teaching and research hospitals if you’re in the right dept ).
The medical discipline isn’t stagnant
– its constantly changing. Routine treatments / drugs from 20 years ago (even some from 2 years ago) , are now considered outdated , the wrong approach , counter productive. Being a doctor doesn’t mean you know whats right today– it means you know what was right at a certain snapshot in time—and that snapshot changes.If you’re going to trust a doctor’s opinion find a specialist who is widely regarded as one of the current experts or visionaries in their field. Otherwise just ignore them. When I talk to my corporate lawyer and bring up a patent concern, he refers me to a top patent attorney because he wants me to get the best answer possible. When you ask a doctor about something, they should have the same repsonse, not say “well, i think its probably not an issue, but if you want to push it, i’ll write you a referral to this dermatologist I know”. I demand a doctor that is smart enough to say “i think its nothing – but this isn’t my area of expertise. YOU SHOULD see this dermatologist, he’s one of the best in the city”.
You two should be proud that you’re not listening blindly to doctors and questioning everything; doing research and making the most informed decisions. Not enough people do that. Chances are, you know more about the current state of vaccinations than most doctors you’ve spoken to—so keep doing what you’re doing so your kid is healthy.
/end rant
Whew, ok, here I go….
This particular subject is one that I am VERY passionate (AKA opinionated) about. I struggled with this decision for a long time. I had my first child at a young age, and I was very impressionable, and naive and chose to vaccinate my child because the doctors said I had to, and made feel like I would have been a bad parent if I didn’t. I was 19 years old….I went along with it….of course. Today you can’t even enroll your child in a daycare or elementary school without that long list of shots (immunization records). Or can you?
In current years I am not so stupid anymore. After doing MUCH research I discovered that You CAN in fact enroll your child in said programs without immunizations. There is a waver that you can sign that states you will not vaccinate your child for religious reasons. They will pretend like it doesn’t exist, and back you into a corner, and try to bully you and make you feel like a bad parent, but is is your right, and the document DOES exist…
That said, I have made the conscious decision NOT to give my son any further vaccinations, and my new child on the way will not be receiving ANY either. The decision for you to vaccinate Emory is yours, and your alone. BUT I advise no parent make that decision without first doing research. This is a good place to start:
http://www.satanicvaccines.com
You will have to look past the whole “religious/pro-life” angle that the page takes (trust me, I am anti BOTH of those things…)and look at for what it is, which is in fact a wealth of information regarding vaccines. You know, the stuff your doctor WONT tell you about. Read it, and make your own conclusions, but whatever you do, DON’T let the medical industry bully you around like they did me. This is TOO important a decision for you to let anyone else make for you…
Oh, and one more thing:
I now see that you have stated multiple times that “you are not NOT going to vaccinate”. So, sorry for the dramatic (and somewhat fanatic as well) post (I kinda posted a response in the heat of the moment without fully reading your blog, or the other replies on here.) Everyone has made great points on the subject, and I hope it all helps get you one step closer to your decision. :) Thanks again for listening to me.
It looks like my comments got erased somehow (stupid internet…lol) so instead of re-hashing everything I typed before (which was a lot) I will just insert this quote which I stumbled upon during my many hours of research on the subject. It really got me thinking:
“The fact is that many countries that call themselves free succumbed to medical dictatorship…people are sicker and less healthy…A country which mandates vaccination is not a free country…It is a country of zombies who do what they are told by vested interests who intimidate them and use them to make money.”
“In my closing remark, I urge parents to ask themselves a few questions. Have you noticed how much the vaccines are pushed by threats, coercion, victimisation and monetary punitive measures, with parents then being accused of causing what are clearly side effects of the vaccines? Would you succumb to the same type of pressure if any other product were pushed with the same vengeance? Wouldn’t you be suspicious and ask what’s wrong with the product if it has to be forced upon consumers? Why do so many informed parents, as well as many informed medical doctors, now refuse vaccination? Shouldn’t you be suspicious of a medical system which forces itself upon you, which won’t accept responsibility for vaccine injuries and unlawfully tries to take away your constitutional, democratic and legal right to have control over your own and your children’s health without being hassled and victimized?”
-Dr. Viera Scheibner Ph.D
Jenny Mccarthy is such a joke. She’s not even a doctor and they has all these stories all just to promote her book. There is no cure for Autism, it’s what the mother did that caused this, she passed it on to her child. her interview is such a crock of shit, vaccinations have nothing to do with the patients overall health. god dam celebrities, always trying to make a quick buck, and she’s saying she’s the first to come out with it and she learned this from 1000’s of mothers, Jenny get a fucking life
Thanks for that really thought-invoking comment, ughh. If that is your real name.
I readily admit to being extremely opinionated.
I do not travel with Pepcid but perhaps I should. :)
I really am just trying to emphasize that vaccinations are a public health issue as much as a private health issue. Yes, of course parents are selfish by nature…but by being selfish, especially if you live in a large urban area, you need to consider public health, because your child is part of the public. Maybe if you lived in the middle of the woods somewhere it wouldn’t be an issue.
Most posters on this site seem to lean to the left. Pro-environment, pro-social responsibility. Which is why it’s so puzzling to me why so many parents would opt out of this very social responsibility. Breastfeeding vs. formula-feeding, cry-it-out, etc.: ok, those are personal choices. They essentially will only affect your child and your family. But vaccinations will not.
For a Third World perspective, read:
http://health.iafrica.com/doconline/pharmacology/immunise.htm
(PS Besides being biased as a doctor’s wife, I am also biased as my husband’s father is from a third world country that has an extremely poor population and still struggles with certain diseases.)
Hi Michele! Met your dad today… what a super guy!! So, I am in State College; have three daughters:11, 2, and 1. When the eldest turned one… there were maybe two or three separate needles compiled of three or four vaccinations; with the 2nd, it ‘upped’ a needle and a vaccine or two……………..with the third…at the end of August on her one year visit she recv’d 5!!!! FIVE needles and a freaking plethora (I think 7 or 8 actaul vaccines) Flu and HEP A now, Varicella, and then all the other routine onesand whatever else has been added.
I also have researched and can utilize an immediate family who is at expert level with the FDA in Rockville working VERY closely with the CDC on other medical research issues………point is, I STILL hated it. I know it is for her (all of their) protection – but out of all three of my girls- this last one’s first yr injections WERE BY FAR the worst.
Not only was it a horrific event for my husband and I to help hold her down for… but she was SICK for three, almost 4 FULL days. That lethargic awful ‘moan cry’- constant. Had no desire to eat; kept the ibuprofen and acet. going – – basically, pumping her with more shit. For the first time in my almost 12 years of motherhood- I was scared.
And as for Jenny, ANYONE who has read her books regarding pregnancy and the first year of life…..are hysterical not to elude pretty darn accurate!! ANY woman to deny pretty much any of her ‘belly laughs’ pregnancy book – did not enjoy or fully appreciate their pregnancy(ies) as it is all so funny and true.
As for the direct relate to Autism… well, I continue to wonder. If not Autism, something ever so slight yet noticable to us. Our second, the 2 yr old is having some speech delay; we have a speech therapist and are doing all that we can to help expidite her articulation but………something slowed her down… and who knows what?? I often wonder. Not only is she mortified of the Dr.’s office and anything having to do with shots… it makes me just wonder………..so many questions, too many to write but I can completely empathize and directly relate to your thoughts and comments.
Sorry for being so long winded……….
Michelle
Michelle,
My son has speech delay as well. They gave him Hep B at birth against my written directives of no vax. Anyway, it was done before the nurses were stopped by a doctor. Yes a doctor who supports families choice and is not sold on the vax. Anyway, they were stopped before the TB one thank god.
So I often wonder if that little body less than an hour old needed to be introduced to all that crap preservatives etc.
Funny how things just niggle at you.
m
I just vaccinated my 2-month old today. Do I feel bad about it? Somewhat, if only because it threw him as a shock to his system. However, he’s not my first child, so I didn’t get too upset as I did with my first son.
At twelve months, I will consider spreading out the Varicella vaccine until his 15-month appointment. But, I will give him the MMR shot at twelve months. The flu shot? Maybe not. I don’t get it nor does my son, and they have the greatest of incidences to contain mercury. I am researching the vaccines at hand, though.
That being said, it’s ridiculous to get your information from SOLELY the Internet, or from one person’s story, as such stories do pertain to that individual. I think vaccines are not the sole reason for Autism. I really believe that other factors should be noted or checked. For instance, formula-feeding should be looked at it. It’s artificial breast-milk, which contains chemicals that are “created” to imitate a natural food. Maybe that has something to do with it. Not only formula, but maybe baby food that’s not created at home, but rather sold in supermarkets. Synthetic chemicals may be the first source. Just something to think about. It just seems that some people wish to find something to point the finger at without really looking at other possible aspects beforehand or along with the indicted source.
As for the thought that not vaccinating your child is selfish or harmful to others. Yes, it is, to a degree. If your child develops a disease that could have been avoided, he/she could come in contact with an infant who hasn’t be vaccinated yet and do harm. I don’t think that is something I would want on my conscious. Just a thought.
Hotteacher, did you even bother reading the rest of comments before you posted? Did you bother reading the post at all? No one is getting their information solely from the Internet here.
No one here, for example, said that vaccinations are the only possible reason behind autism. Even Ms. McCarthy denied such a claim. So, immediately, part of your comment is moot.
Also, I’m not going to repeat myself again. I’m done repeating myself. If folks come here and fail to read the actual post and the comments that follow, that’s their problem. It’s just a shame that this led folks to such an incorrect assumption about my beliefs/worries/thoughts.