By Andrea Lyn Van Benschoten, Web Content Editor
“Are you an anti-vaxxer?”
It’s a question you often hear as the school year begins and parents ensure their children are up to date on their vaccines. There is, however, an ongoing movement of parents that refuse to vaccinate their children.
Some parents refuse to vaccinate for religious reasons, such as Christian Scientists and members of the Dutch Reformed Church, a Protestant denomination. Others refuse to vaccinate for fear of autism. However, there have been multiple studies disproving any link between autism rates and vaccinations and many autism organizations encourage childhood vaccination. Still others feel children are required to have far too many vaccines early in life and pick and choose what vaccinations their child will receive and when.
Enter Rebecca Bredow.
Who is that you might ask? She is a mother who refused to bring her child up to date on vaccinations on a schedule set forth by her child’s pediatrician. As a result, she was ordered to spend seven days in jail.
According to Bredow, she and her husband originally decided to spread out their child’s vaccinations. However, the father has since changed his mind and wants his child to receive vaccinations on the recommended schedule. The mother refused and was sentenced to seven days in prison for contempt of court.
In the 1970s, when I began school, the following vaccinations were recommended (source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia):
Diphtheria*
Tetanus*
Pertussis*
Polio (OPV)
Measles**
Mumps**
Rubella**
* Given in combination as DTP
** Given in combination as MMR
By 2010, the following vaccinations were recommended (source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia):
Diphtheria*
Tetanus*
Pertussis*
Measles**
Mumps**
Rubella**
Polio (IPV)
Hib
Hepatitis B
Varicella
Hepatitis A
Pneumococcal
Influenza
Rotavirus
* Given in combination as DTaP
** Given in combination as MMR
That is quite a long list.
This list, obviously, does not include “boosters” required during adolescence, such as tetanus, as well as more recently available vaccinations available such as the vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV). It also does not include vaccinations available upon reaching adulthood, such as an annual flu shot or a pneumonia vaccine.
I can certainly understand how parents could be concerned with this list of vaccinations. However, parents need to consider the “risk versus reward” for vaccinating their children.
For example, after measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000, it has made a recent return due to people rejecting vaccinating their children. These findings, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, add to the evidence linking failure to vaccinate with the spread of the disease.
Where does a parent’s right to manage the healthcare of their child end and the government’s ability to enforce what is believed to be “best for the child” begin? Rebecca Bredow is facing that issue right now.
Personally, I am happy my parents were diligent with my vaccinations while I was a child. Additionally, I have received boosters over the years including my annual flu shot and I just had my first pneumonia vaccine. While I wouldn’t tell a parent what to do when it comes to the healthcare of their child, I would hope if they are considering not vaccinating their children, they would discuss their concerns with their child’s pediatrician before making a final decision.
Otherwise, you might wind up like Rebecca Bredow.