I Couldn’t Vaccinate My Child & You Protected Him
Vaccination is always an emotionally fuelled topic. You can’t seem to bring up Vaccination in an online space without going to war. Then there’s the fence-sitters, those who vaccinate their children but respect those who choose not to.
I Used To Be A Fence Sitter.
I hate telling anybody what they “should do” with their lives. Being without a choice is something I have experienced many times. It’s an awful feeling, why should I impose that on another human being?
I Couldn’t Vaccinate My Child
I couldn’t vaccinate my first born child for almost 3 years. Ryan was diagnosed with a tumour in his head which resulted in having Chemotherapy for 20 Months. This put his immune system into a poor state. Vaccines are too risky while on Chemotherapy.
Our vaccinations were spread out from 2 – 7 years old in an attempt to catch up, during this time I saw the pressure parents are under to Vaccinate – even with a medical diagnosis.
I have no sympathy to give for those who choose not to vaccinate.
To The Parents Who Kept My Son Safe
Those who vaccinated their children kept my child safe. Okay, I don’t know if he would have caught chicken pox, Meningococcal or any other virus commonly vaccinated. What I do know is if he did, he would have died. He has been hospitalised for weeks on end for far less.
“If Your Child Is Vaccinated, Why Are You Worried About Mine”
This is an argument, parents against vaccination frequently drag up from the bottom of the barrel. The answer is, my child was not vaccinated. He did not have a choice, you do.
For many years he relied on you to keep him safe. He had the battle of a lifetime through Chemo, Surgery, and Surviving, imagine if the last breath he took was spent fighting off a case of measles.
I understand the need to be fully informed about vaccines. I understand the right to information regarding the decisions we have to make for our children’s health. I don’t believe in taking a person’s choice away, but I don’t have to support it, at all.
Why Are People Listening To Crazy Anti-Vaccine Arguments?
In 2016 Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg sparked more than 83,000 comments when he posted about his child’s vaccination. In a brilliant move, a group of researchers from the University of NSW analysed approximately 1,400 comments using a text analysis program.
It was discovered that Pro-Vaccination opinions were surrounded with far more anxiety and emotion than Anti-Vaccination comments.
The psychology behind this is complex, but it questions whether the Anti-Vaccination movement has experienced growth because of their ability to present a more structured argument – giving the faux of logic explanation.
The short story is. If you vaccinate, You are going to be passionate and determined to protect your child. In a debate, this can come off as crazy, making the opposition – The Anti Vax Movement – seem informed.
This is not the whole reason for Anti-Vaccine Growth, but I think it plays a huge part now that we are socially connected on a global level.
If You Choose Not To Vaccinate.
Fine. But don’t wave it in my face. Why? Because I genuinely believe we have a duty to protect the children who have compromised immune systems. I have seen children come and go from hospital beds. I have heard the sound of parents who mourn the loss of angels who did not even experience their first day at school.
I wrote this piece because of people like Pauline Hanson using Vaccination to cause controversy, leveraging emotionally fuelled topics for political gain.
Thank you to those who protected my child. x
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