March 4, 2019[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you were a patient waiting for your name to be called on December 28th, 2012 you may have heard a blood curdling scream coming from behind the patient doors. That scream was my sister. My sister was 4 years old at the time and had the nickname of “Ella the Tough”, she always had bumps and bruises all over her and never cried as she was a tough little girl! She had never cried before when getting her shots. This time was very different.
In the Waiting Room Photo from Kahll via pixabay.com
In December 2012, I went with to my little sister’s 4 year old wellness check. I remember everything going well until the nurse brought up vaccines. She asked my dad, “Will we be doing any vaccines today?” He responded with, “What ones are necessary, and what ones are recommended?” She said that all of the shots are recommended, and only some are “required”. My dad went back and forth with the nurse, and only agreed to allow her to administer 1 of the 4 recommended shots. The nurse scoffed and rolled her eyes at my dad for not wanting to give my sister the rest of them, she told him to hold my sister down. She then forcefully shoved the needle angrily into my sisters left thigh. My little sister immediately lunged out and screamed in pain. She has from then on been afraid to go to wellness appointments and becomes very nervous and upset even at the mention of shots. And I ask myself: Why was that nurse so upset that we weren’t getting all of the vaccines?
Immunizations are Changing
Ok, so here is the thing, immunizations have changed over the years. Many have been added and many have been recalled. The Center for Disease Control went from recommending 3 shots in 1960, to recommending 58 in 2018. I personally have not gotten all of the recommended shots, and I have never had the flu shot. I am open to all of the benefits of vaccinating, but I believe people should know what they are agreeing to.[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]CDC knows vaccines can be harmful[/perfectpullquote] In 1986 The National Vaccine Injury Act was put in place. This act shields all vaccine manufacturers, health care professionals, and practices from liability resulting from vaccine injury or death. That means that the CDC knows vaccines can be harmful but they believe the benefits are worth the risk. This is a personal decision and one of the most debated topics by parents today.
Are the Many Negatives Worth the One Positive? Photo from Geralt via pixabay.com
Benefits? Yes.
There have been some benefits to vaccinations. The primary purpose of immunizations has always been to prevent diseases. The vaccinated community is believed to help protect those who are not vaccinated. This is a concept called “herd immunity”, however, it was uncommon to ever question if the vaccines were good for the vaccinated community. For people with weakened immune systems some vaccines are probably the better option. Vaccines have been known to protect populations from “preventable diseases”, and to keep vulnerable individuals safe. There are many preventable diseases we forget exist because of vaccines, including; Diphtheria, Chicken Pox, Mumps, Rotavirus, Pneumococcal Disease, Whooping Cough(Pertussis), Measles, Hib, Rubella, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, Tetanus, and Polio. Many believe that diseases are becoming rare due to the vaccines, this is only somewhat true. The Center for Disease Control claims for diseases like smallpox, immunizations have no point because the disease no longer exists. They also claim that if we stop immunizations practically unknown diseases would start up again. For decades vaccines have been thought of as useful and protective. But life today is much different than it once was, and for people with perfectly fine or healthy immune systems, vaccines are unnecessary.
Complications? Yes.
There are many complications that come with all new technology, and vaccines can be thought of as almost a type of technology. They have not been fully tested, as with many things, we can not fully prepare for what may be thrown at us. But vaccines should be tested more carefully if we are going to put them in our bodies, and rely on them to not mess up. Many of today’s vaccines are actually harming and even killing people. Vaccines are changing people’s lives for the worse. Causing complications in many Americans’ lives, and in many lives around the globe. The Gardasil shot “is one that has been highly marketed, the benefits are over-hyped, and the dangers are underestimated.” Gardasil is a shot that is given to presumed promiscuous teens and adults, in order to help prevent cervical cancer. Some of the complications include soreness, swelling, high fevers, headaches, fainting, and death. Gardasil has been banned in all of Europe, and yet in the US we still are administering it to any ages between 9 and 45(depending on the sex). Many vaccines have caused unnecessary deaths. Gardasil alone killed 26 “young, previously healthy, girls” in just under 365 days. In 2008 the Food and Drug Association (FDA) reports that 73% of the ‘healthy’ girls who took part in the clinical trials developed new medical conditions following the trials! This is not the only vaccine that has had this result, many have been known to cause deaths.
People Are Not Protected
I believe people should know thoroughly what they are putting in their bodies, and should be made clear about all the implications that could possibly follow. Vaccines have caused many different lawsuits, either because of deaths, or the unclear side effects that occured. These lawsuits have resulted in various ways. In 2011, there was a case called Bruesewitz v. Wyeth. This case took place because 2 hours after Hannah Bruesewitz received her six-month diphtheria tetanus, and pertussis vaccine in 1992,[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The parents wanted compensation from the manufacturers of the vaccines, but the court denied them of this.[/perfectpullquote] she started developing seizures and was hospitalized for weeks. Hannah has continued to suffer from a residual seizure disorder that requires her to receive constant care, according to her parents. The parents wanted compensation from the manufacturers of the vaccines, but the court denied them of this. In 1998 the drug company making the type of vaccine that put Hannah in this condition removed it from the market. The family, again, tried for compensation. The U.S Supreme Court ended up ruling that vaccines are unavoidably unsafe, and that manufacturers may not be sued for design defects. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act seemed to protect the manufactures in the case. This case alone shows how even the government knows the dangers involving vaccines. Does this mean that the CDC could recommend any vaccine they wish? And that they won’t be able to be sued even if they kill hundreds of thousands of people in the process?
Optional or Not?
The fact that all the manufactures and administers of vaccines are protected from lawsuits means that if anything happens, the person it happens to is at fault. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If anything happens, the person it happens to is at fault. No one else can be blamed.[/perfectpullquote] No one else can be blamed, this is because it is by choice that vaccines are administered. They may be pushed onto people, and be required in order to go to public school, and even some colleges. But they are considered “optional”.
I think not. You should not have to go to a different school or change anything in your life just because you do not want to put something that could potentially be harmful into your body. Most people getting vaccines do not know what makes up the vaccine. This is almost similar to schools deciding that you have to start smoking in order to attend the school. The thought is just absurd.
All I ask is that you think about what goes into your vaccines. YOU are PUTTING these things into YOUR body, and the damages are irreversible.
Deadly Ingredients
Vaccines are not only full of chemicals, heavy metals, but some also contain aborted fetus DNA. There is a lot of data on how vaccine ingredients have been questioned throughout the years. This is not limited to just the United States, but also in many different countries.
Warning! Photo from Qimono via pixabay.com
Mercury is one of the constantly debated substances in vaccines. The mercury-based Thimerosal is in vaccines, to act as a preservative. It has been banned from being in children’s vaccines. This preservative has been associated to autism in young children. This is the reason it has been banned. Despite the correlation between mercury and the causation of autism, mercury is still administered in some flu shots, but only to adults.
There are currently five vaccines which contain human protein and DNA. Most of the fetus DNA in these vaccines are there because they were ‘grown’ on the tissues. This is because there is no better way right now for scientists and researchers to grow and make a vaccine as accurate as vaccines can get. Even the packages which vaccines are given to clinics and hospitals are sometimes misleading. Considering the ingredients listed on the sides, are sometimes contradicting to the common knowledge people are given by their nurses; “vaccine package inserts do not specify the source of the human blood“.
It Doesn’t Add Up
I don’t know about you but when we go to the clinic for checkups the nurses never inform us on what we are putting into our bodies. Maybe this is because without knowledge people are more likely to say yes to whatever. If you were unaware of the side effects of smoking all day everyday and a nurse told you too, you would. If you were unaware of the side effects of drinking all day everyday and a nurse told you too, you would. If you were unaware of the side effects of vaccines and a nurse told you to get them, you would. I just ask that you do your research before making a decision, if you decide to take the risk, that is your choice. My decision was made even before my research, with thinking about one simple question: Why was that nurse mad at my dad for only agreeing to get 1 of the 4 recommended shots, was she truly concerned for my sisters health, or was she more concerned about herself?
Featured image from pixabay.com
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Raymond
Could it have something to do with maybe where the vaccine happens?
Bennett
I have multiple concerns with this article. First of all, one of your first claims is that the ‘National Vaccine Injury Act’ protects “all vaccine manufacturers, health care professionals, and practices from liability resulting from vaccine injury or death”. However, this claim is contradicted by the very source you credited. Your source, The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act states, “The law set up a federal vaccine injury compensation program as well as included legal requirements for vaccine providers to: give parents vaccine benefit and risk information before their children are vaccinated; keep written records of vaccine manufacturer names and lot numbers for each vaccination given; enter serious health problems following vaccination into a child’s permanent medical record; and report serious health problems following vaccination to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).” This means that the vaccine manufacturers are held to a certain degree of liability, so when you say they are “shielded” from accountability is false according to your sources.
Your claim that the CDC recognizes actual dangers is also misleading according to your article. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act was passed through Congress, and the article made no mention of an opinion or input by the Center for Disease Control. Later in your article you state, “The fact that all the manufactures and administers of vaccines are protected from lawsuits means that if anything happens, the person it happens to is at fault”. However, according to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, this is also false. The same source as cited above also states that as much as “4 billion dollars” had been awarded to vaccine injury victims in 2018 by the U.S. Court of Claims. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act says that if victims are not compensated, there was not sufficient evidence to support that the manufacturers could have made conscious efforts to make their vaccines “safer”.
In your article you talk about dangerous ingredients such as: “chemicals, heavy metals, and aborted fetus DNA”. I find this deeply troubling because you provide no actual evidence to support this. Also your claims that mercury leads to autism in children is false, and is supported by no actual research. The article, Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism, by the CDC[1], claims that there is no link between vaccines and autism, or any links between vaccine ingredients and autism. It also states that vaccines “are very safe with rare exceptions”. Another ingredient you say is in vaccines is “aborted fetal tissue” which is partially true, however you are also misleading your readers with this claim. After some research, I found the article, Do Vaccines Contain Aborted Fetal Tissue?[2] describes how the CDC states that some vaccines, specifically the rubella vaccine, is cultured from a cell line. These cell lines were created by fetal tissue from legal abortions from the 1960’s. Because of this, we no longer need more fetal tissue to create new vaccines. In fact, the cell lines are so far removed that there is no more actual fetal tissue in the vaccines. Even so, by the time the vaccines are fully processed “very little, if any, of that tissue, remains in the vaccine.”
If you are still concerned with the ethical reasoning from using fetal tissue, you may find solace in the fact that the Vatican took a stance on the issue and stated that while they believe it is wrong to create vaccines from aborted fetal tissue, “it is acceptable to use vaccines developed from abortions that were carried out decades ago.”
Also I think we need to remember that putting ‘chemicals’ in our bodies is not always bad. Our bodies are made out of different chemicals. Of course, certain chemicals can be harmful, but you failed to list any chemicals, much less ones that are harmful to humans. The fact that you are vague on ingredients is very similar to the vagueness you claim is apparent in the vaccine industry with “harmful” ingredients. It is misleading for the reader.
The use of highly biased sources throughout your article is also misleading. While I understand having some biased sources to support your argument is unavoidable, the vast majority of your sources are unreliable, biased sources from private organizations. A specific source, cited under the words “[…] dangers are underestimated” brings you to a website that provides no actual information, and calls for donations to create a documentary. So your claim is not backed up by evidence, and it also is misleading.
Your statements that “for people with perfectly fine or healthy immune systems, vaccines are unnecessary” and “[f]or people with weakened immune systems some vaccines are probably the better option” are completely false. It is actually the opposite of what you claim. The entire concept of herd immunity is rooted from healthy people getting immunized to prevent the spread of diseases to those who are susceptible to them. People with weak immune systems cannot get immunizations because they have weak immune systems or are allergic to components of vaccines. The article, Vaccines Protect Your Community[3] explains the meaning of herd identity and who vaccines protect well.
Finally, your claims about how immunizations are unnecessary because the diseases are already eradicated is also false. You say that the CDC claims that immunizations for smallpox is not needed because it has been wiped out. But by what? It was by vaccines. Without vaccines rare diseases like smallpox, cholera, and polio would begin to return. Already due to an increasing popularity of the “anti-vaccine” movement, measles has begun to spread once again. 17 outbreaks occurred in 2018, primarily among unvaccinated people, which is stated by the CDC article Measles Cases and Outbreaks.
Ultimately, what do I wish to accomplish with this? Just to be right? You may think so, but in reality, it is not. I am trying to make people aware of how dangerous this mentality is. If you are healthy, required vaccines should not be a choice. We have vaccines in order to prevent the spread of disease. Just think about how much life expectancy increased since the advent of the polio vaccine. In fact, the World Health Organization states in their article, Vaccination Greatly Reduces Disease, Disability, Death and Inequity Worldwide that, behind clean water, vaccines have had the biggest impact on increasing the quality of life. Do you really want to jeopardize people’s lives over false claims and extenuating circumstances? Try rethinking your position about vaccines, as they exist to help, not hurt.
Sources
1: Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html
2: Do Vaccines Contain Aborted Fetal Tissue?: https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-vaccines-contain-aborted-fetal-tissue-260337
3: Vaccines Protect Your Community: https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/work/protection/index.html
4: Measles Cases and Outbreaks: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
5: Vaccination Greatly Reduces Disease, Disability, Death and Inequity Worldwide:
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/2/07-040089/en/
anonymous
Thank you for sharing your views about vaccines. While I can understand and accept that you may be anti-vaccine or at least cautious about vaccines in general, I just wanted to say that your post is a bit misguided. I found that many of your sources were not reliable enough to gain certain aspects of your research and you shouldn’t be able to base all of your claims off these. In addition, I wanted to point out a few things. The FDA itself stated that through fifteen years of research, there has been no link between Thimerosal and Autism. In fact, the FDA says it the drug has a long record of safe, effective, and necessary use in vaccinations.You also mentioned that many ingredients contained within vaccines may be dangerous. However, as explained in this post, https://mrkantor.com/vaccinations-are-definitely-worth-a-shot/
It is explained that most if not all of these are safe to use unless used in absurd amounts. In fact, these ingredients are the very staple within vaccines that ensure they work properly.
Another thing, the National Child Vaccine Injury Act doesn’t protect manufacturers in any form. The act was established to protect the general public and set general guidelines. In fact, “The law preserved the right for vaccine injured persons to bring a lawsuit in the court system if federal compensation is denied or is not sufficient or when there was evidence a drug company could have made a vaccine safe,” (National Vaccine Information Center). This is just a little information I wanted to share. If you would like to learn more, I recommend visiting the blog I linked above to learn a little more about how vaccines are more helpful than you appear to believe. As you pointed out the risks, vaccines have risks. But so does every other gosh darn thing in life.
Rachael
“My decision was made even before my research” that statement right there invalidates your entire article because it proves that you were only looking for research to support your own opinion. Your parents had indoctered you to believing vaccines are bad. There is so much research proving the benefits of vaccines. When you get a vaccine you are made aware of the risks and benefits. Just like when you get meds there’s a label telling you exactly what the risks are and how to take it. I guarantee that if you asked your nurse what the risks were and what was in the vaccine they would be more than happy to inform you. Vaccines are so unbelievably helpful in preventing deadly diseases and honestly it’s basic risk benefit analysis. I think you need to talk to your doctor (you know a person who has a doctorate in this) about the safety of vaccinations and then make your decision. It’s clear that you didn’t come to this conclusion on your own and you need to analyze what your parents tell you critically, because it seems to me that you are only informed about the negatives and you don’t fully understand vaccines.