Garrison

Ashley Garrison
Ms. Anaya
Speech Communication 103 - STS
May 8, 2015

Vaccinations Should Be Required By Law

Imagine your seven year old daughter complaining of fever, cough, runny nose, watery
eyes and a severe rash. When you take her to the emergency room you soon learn that she has
measles and that this could have completly been avoided. According to the Centers for Diseases
Control and Prevention, one in every four people in the U.S. who gets measles will be
hospitalized (Measles). Unfortunately measles has once again become a nationwide issue in the
United States.
Over the past few years measles has become a real problem throughout the United States.
According to the CDC, over the past two years 2014 and 2015 the number of measles cases has
skyrocketed. In 2014 there were 383 confirmed cases of measles, and 2015 seems to be
following the same path with 169 confirmed cases through May 1st (Measles). Vaccines save
childrens lives yet many people have been led to falsely believe that they harm children rather
than help them. According to Shot at Life the the measles vaccine alone has decreased the
number of childhood deaths from measles by 74% (Pro). This single vaccine could have a
tremendous impact on the number of childhood deaths in the United States.
So now you may be wondering why there is so many cases of measles in the United
States when we have a solution. I believe that children should be required by law to be

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vaccinated as recommended by a pediatrician. There are many benefits to getting proper

vaccinations including saving the lives of children, the safety of ingredients due to many studies
on the vaccinations, adverse reactions have become very rare, and receiving vaccinations saves
children and parents both their time and their money. According to American Academy of
Pediatrics the vaccines are between 90% and 99% effective in preventing disease and vaccines
save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases each year (Vaccine).
Children not getting vaccinated as they should be as a major problem in the United
States. Many diseases such as measles could almost be completely eliminated if all children
received vaccination. To greatly reduce the number of measles cases and other potential
outbreaks in the future all children should be required by law to be vaccinated. So lets all take a
stand and vaccinate our children and greatly encourage others to do the same.

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Works Cited

"Should We Require Vaccinations?" KQED Education KQED Public Media for Northern CA.
KQED, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

"Vaccine Safety." Encyclopedia of Virology (2008): 226-35. American Academy of Pediatrics.

American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008. Web. 8 May 2015.

"Edu Tim - ProCon.org. Web. 8 May 2015.

"Measles Cases and Outbreaks." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.