Spring 2010 101 Research: Vaccinations

Overall Concerns About Child Vaccinations

Gary Null and Martin Feldman. "Some Worries About Childhood Vaccinations Are Legitimate." At Issue: Should Vaccinations be Mandatory?. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. INLAN - Gonzaga University Library. 25 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010616203&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=gonzagaufoley&version=1.0>.

People engaged in the fight against government-mandated vaccines share their concerns here about several vaccination issues. Some of these issues include the provocation of disease, the temporary immunity of vaccines, the economic/legal issues, state laws, and the freedom to choose.

Joanna Raustein

Shana Kluck. "Mandatory Vaccinations Deny Parents Their Rights." At Issue: Should Vaccinations be Mandatory?. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. INLAN - Gonzaga University Library. 30 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010616206&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=gonzagaufoley&version=1.0>.

The author, a mother, presents findings from her research on vaccines after her friend's infant had a bad reaction to one, and does not want to harm her own child with a vaccine. She believes that the doctors who financially benefit from giving vaccines are the ones who deny the link of a shot and a bad reaction, and argues against the government's authoritative position with vaccination requirements for schools.

Ally Archer

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Mandatory Vaccinations Threaten Religious Freedom

Mathew D. Staver. "Mandatory Vaccinations Threaten Religious Freedom." At Issue: Should Vaccinations be Mandatory?. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. INLAN - Gonzaga University Library. 25 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010616208&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=gonzagaufoley&version=1.0>.

Many people object to mandatory vaccinations for religious reasons. One reason people oppose certain vaccines is because some vaccines are made from aborted fetal tissue. People who hold religious beliefs against abortion oppose these vaccines for the same reasons they oppose abortion. Other people have deeply held religious beliefs against vaccinating in general. Unvaccinated children must not be prevented from attending school because of mandatory vaccination laws—such laws violate the right to religious freedom.

Joanna Raustein

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The Safety of Vaccines

Phillips, Alan. "Vaccines Are Unsafe and Ineffective." Opposing Viewpoints: Epidemics. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. INLAN - Gonzaga University Library. 25 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010133220&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=

Alan Phillips is the director of Citizens for Healthcare Freedom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals to make informed vaccination decisions. In the following viewpoint, taken from his report "Dispelling Vaccine Myths," Phillips argues that vaccines are not safe and effective. They frequently cause adverse reactions, he claims, including death and long-term health problems. Furthermore, he asserts, no real proof exists to demonstrate their effectiveness in preventing disease.

Joanna Raustein

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Vaccines Are Safe and Effective." Opposing Viewpoints: Epidemics. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. INLAN - Gonzaga University Library. 25 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/ovrc/infomark.do?&contentSet=GSRC&type=retrieve&tabID=T010&prodId=OVRC&docId=EJ3010133221&source=gale&srcprod=OVRC&userGroupName=gonzagaufoley&version=1.0>.

This viewpoint is taken from a Center for Disease Control publication written for doctors and other health professionals to help them respond to parents' concerns about the safety and effectiveness of child vaccines. The CDC contends that vaccines are carefully monitored for safety and that failing to vaccinate a child increases his or her risk of injury or death due to disease.

Joanna Raustein

Possible Link to Autism?

Park, Alice. "How Safe Are Vaccines?" Time. CNN, 21 May 2008. Web. 29 Mar. 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1808438-4,00.html>.

This article is about the fear of immunizations resulting in autism, but then explains how scientists have found that the two are not linked, based on science. It then explains that vaccinations have saved many lives, including those who cannot receive certain vaccines (infants, those with surpressed immune systems, etc) because those who cannot receive them are around protected humans.

Ally Archer

Fox, Maggie. "Vaccine did not cause autism, U.S. court rules; 5,300 cases filed Family's claim not based on sound scientific theory. " The Gazette 13 Mar. 2010, ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 29 Mar. 2010. ,http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=10&did=1983414881&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1269890798&clientId=10553>.

This also says that vaccines are not linked to autism: "Vaccines that contain a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal cannot cause autism on their own, a special U.S. court ruled yesterday, dealing one more blow to parents seeking to blame vaccines for their children's illness."

Ally Archer