Now on to my case Contention 1: Vaccinations are proven the most effective option Sub point A: Although vaccines are

not 100% perfect, they are the best option In any place of the world, the first definition of the word safe is harmless, also meaning that no pain is caused. Using this definition, anyone can see that vaccines are not 100% safe. Although almost all vaccines can cause pain, redness, or tenderness at the injection point, and sometimes even serious symptoms like high fever as a result of the whooping cough vaccine, almost everything in this world does not meet this first definition. Even everyday activities such as taking a shower or a bath and eating food do not meet this definition. Each year in the United States, 200 people are killed from food lodging in their throats and 350 people are killed from shower related incidents like slipping and hitting their head. But if we look at all of these things, we can all agree that the benefits of these activities, like having a clean body and not starving to death outweigh the cons. Sub point B: Statistics that prove vaccinations help The number of cases of polio reported globally has decreased from more than 350,000 cases in 125 countries in 1988 to 2,000 cases in seventeen countries in 2006 due to vaccinations; the only countries where polio remains endemic are Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, countries without the vaccine. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease. When children who have been vaccinated do contract a disease, despite being vaccinated against it, they usually have milder symptoms with less serious complications than an un-vaccinated child that gets the same disease. Contention 2: State Mandated vaccinations are critical to public health Sub point A: people who choose not to get vaccinated are putting the public at risk At the center of the vaccine debate is the idea that getting vaccinations is not just helping yourself but in return the community as well. People who do not get vaccines ultimately hurt the public as the disease of the vaccination becomes that much more able to spread. In mass numbers, this can cause a huge problem in large communities and can make many people very sick. Therefore, with state mandated vaccinations, we can assure that the public is safe and that we have nothing to worry about when others choose not to vaccinate. In Boulder, CO, fear over possible side effects of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine led many parents to refuse vaccination for their children causing Boulder to have the lowest school-wide vaccination rate in Colorado for whooping cough and one of the highest rates of whooping cough in the US as of 2002. Sub point B: we need to prevent diseases, not treat them The beneficial thing about vaccines and why they are justified is that they help prevent a disease rather than treat it when it comes into play. It also protects the people that come into contact with unvaccinated individuals, which is the reason that we need state mandated vaccines. As I stated earlier, not getting vaccines can seriously harm the public community that is what we see can happen. Contention 3: The benefits of mandated vaccines outweigh the negatives The risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases like measles and mumps can cause permanent disability and death. In 1991 an outbreak of measles in an unvaccinated group of children in Philadelphia caused seven deaths. Children infected with the mumps can become permanently deaf. Although a very small number of deaths from the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine have been reported the most common adverse reactions are minor soreness and or fever. Vaccines should be required because they produce significant economic benefits for society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every $1 spent on vaccines saves the public $6.30 in medical costs that would result from having to treat unvaccinated diseased individuals.