Choosing Not to Vaccinate?

A growing number of parents today are choosing not to vaccinate their children. While this seems risky and uncertain to many, these parents insist that they are doing the safest thing for their children. What are the reasons behind the trend to delay or skip vaccines all together, and is it legal?

For most parents it is a common part of the routine doctor visits. At two months, four months, six months, and so on babies are taken in to be weighed, measured, and injected with vaccines that their parents and their doctors believe will save these children from lifelong pain and suffering or worse at the hands of disease. For many there is simply no question about receiving the shots. A slight fever, a sore muscle at the injection site, and a cranky baby are all the outward signs that most will notice in relation to the vaccine, which to many is far better than the possible effects that the diseases could cause. Images of the old black and white photos of polio victims lying out in iron lungs flash through our minds at the idea of not vaccinating our children, quickly persuading us to squash any ideas of skipping those necessary shots.

And yet more and more parents today are doing their own research when it comes to vaccines and choosing not to proceed with the routine injections. Rather than solely taking the word of doctors and the vaccine industry they want to know the effects and the risks themselves. Parenting sites all across the web are hosting discussions on vaccines, books such as Just A Little Prick by Peter and Hilary Butler that explain vaccines are gaining notice, and newspapers are finding themselves looking for information as Texas lawmakers put vaccines in the headlines. In today’s information age it almost seems outdated not to be as knowledgeable as possible on the many areas that affect our children’s lives. Parents today want as much information as possible in order to make the best choices for their children, even if their choice goes against conventional thinking.