Pros Of Mandatory Vaccination

Superior Essays
Register to read the introduction… The health of the global population should always come before all else, considering that a person must be alive in order to hold religious or moral beliefs (Parkins 440). Choosing not to vaccinate a child effects not only that child, but also everyone around him or her. For example, Gillian Hodge, a mother from Virginia, had to endure a grueling 30-day quarantine after her newborn baby girl caught measles at her doctor’s office (Parkins 439). Baby Mackenzie, who was too young to receive her MMR vaccine, caught measles from an unvaccinated child. She was then quarantined so that she would not spread the highly contagious disease (Parkins 439). Mrs. Hodge agrees with mandatory vaccination. “It’s so scary to think you could be at the park enjoying a nice day with your kids and then the next day they could [have a] deathly disease. . . . I am a firm believer in vaccinations.” (Parkins 440). Unvaccinated children could be dangerous to other children around them. Infants who are not yet old enough to receive vaccines can catch harmful diseases such as measles and mumps from infected, unvaccinated children (Lu 871). Vaccination should be mandatory to keep children such as Mackenzie Hodge safe. Responsible parents should not have to worry about their babies getting sick (Lu 871; Parkins …show more content…
The risks of not vaccinating are detrimental to the unvaccinated child, but also every other child around him or her. Worldwide outbreaks are not worth it (Jolley and Douglas 2) The world should strive to eradicate diseases such as measles, mumps, and polio. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are only exposing them and others to a dangerous world full of harmful disease. It is most important to make sure that children throughout the world can stay safe (Parkins …show more content…
"Factors Affecting The Infant Antibody Response To Measles Immunisation In Entebbe-Uganda." BMC Public Health 13.1 (2013): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.gatekeeper2.lindenwood.edu/ehost/detail?vid=21&sid=e5077fb8-40f6-410d-8e55-2237b0a56c5b%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4210&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=89637825>.
Lu, Hope. "Giving Families Their Best Shot: A Law-Medicine Perspective On The Right To Religious Exemptions From Mandatory Vaccination." Case Western Reserve Law Review 63.3 (2013): 869-915. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. <http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.gatekeeper2.lindenwood.edu/ehost/detail?vid=21&sid=e5077fb8-40f6-410d-8e55-2237b0a56c5b%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4210&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=87553767>.
Parkins, Christine. "Protecting The Herd: A Public Health, Economics, And Legal Argument For Taxing Parents Who Opt-Out Of Mandatory Childhood Vaccinations." Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal 21.2 (2012): 437-490. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

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