OPTING OUT OF VACCINATIONS COULD GET TOUGHER IN CALIFORNIA

INTRODUCTION

There is a topic that affects worldwide population, the first affected are children. Its been some years now, that parents are refusing to vaccinate their kids, fearing that vaccines might harm them. Obviously parents will do the best for their kids, but sometimes media can control decisions and the lack on information leads to bad decision-making.

FACTS

Around 5 years ago, some rumors about the link of autism and the vaccines made parents to avoid vaccinating their kids, taking for granted the future consequences of that decision, and not being integrally informed about the real issues and the real link between autism and vaccines.

Parents decided not to vaccinate their kids, and it was their decision to make it or not. However, looks like California is realizing that diseases that were controlled and prevented by the vaccines are now coming back, and in some case are taking kids lifes.

That is why now California is thinking about having some kind of control in the decision of vaccinating a kid or not.

ISSUE

The main issue presented is that some diseases that were controlled through vaccination are coming back and are attacking the population. An example of that is measles. Even though the disease was supposedly eliminated from the United States in 2000, last year the country reported the highest number of measles cases (Roope, 2012).

Some parents thought that avoiding the vaccines would free their kids from autism and from getting toxins from the vaccines. But they ignored the fact that some disease that were eradicated, some of them life threatening, could come back because of the lack of protection.

Their decision to protect their kids was ignoring the fact of the possible consequences that might have, not only in their kids but in the entire population.

REASONS AND CONCLUSIONS

This article may fall into the sociological school; the article follows the community interests. The reason for the article to be presented is that there is no evidence to assure that vaccines hurt kids instead of helping them to grow healthy, safe and protected against critical diseases that may cost their life or their quality of life in the future.

RELEVANT RULES OF LAW

The only rule in terms of vaccination is the mandatory school vaccination, which is that all kids must have some vaccines to be able to go to school so other kids are protected also. However there is an exception and kids with no vaccines are able to go to school if parents give a letter waiving the responsibility of the school in the case the kids get sick of one of those illnesses.

AMBIGUITY

ETHICAL NORMS

LEGAL PRECEDENT

MISSING INFORMATION

Parents were not informed enough and were following some tide of not traditional medicine that was going against the vaccines and the possible toxins the vaccines might have and leave in the children.

Even though the link between autism and vaccines was already retracted by the British Medical Journal The Lancet, some parents kept their thought about it and are keeping their kids away from vaccines, but they are keeping them closer to get those diseases. CONCLUSION

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