Part One.
Wow. I decide to begin writing and jump right into the fire. I read a story.
I hadn't heard of Andrew Wakefield until One? Two? Three years ago? I do know I read about him with my constant online reading of articles from everywhere, but, his name did not stick. Just the fuzziness of what people were buzzing about remains (Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey were in there, too).
What I do know is that he didn't effect my vaccination decision for my child(ren). His study came years late to influence my decision.
Let me preface the rest by saying that I received all of my vaccinations. Even getting updated tetanus shots which was more than my peers were doing in their early and mid-twenties. I caught chicken pox naturally on a school field trip to a museum (we think) and gave the rest of my school chicken pox.
When I was pregnant, I was lectured (not nicely) about not being immune to anything (except chickenpox). My first thought was that I had been given all of my shots. I was also in shock that I was being yelled at about not being immune to anything except chicken pox (which is the only childhood disease I acquired naturally); as if it was my fault and that I purposely wasn't immune to catching diseases! My second thought was, "Just like a dog."
Given more time to think on the way home after this disturbing doctor checkup, I thought, why do we so easily suspend our questioning of the vaccination rite of passage? (Herd mentality. We really are sheeple.) Why get them if they don't work? (Fear and money. Fear from earlier generations that didn't know why people died and wanted to prevent it, so, made the decision that everybody would be inocculated. The skewed logic that still stands is that people would still die as a cause of the vaccine and others would die having had their shots but catching the disease anyway. Money, well, pharmaceutical companies of course. If every person is required to have drugs, not just one, but, several? That's BIG business, baby.) And why was the doctor so mad about this? (Rubella - German Measles. Infection of the mother by Rubella virus during pregnancy can be serious; if the mother is infected within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, the child may be born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), which entails a range of serious incurable illnesses. Spontaneous abortion occurs in up to 20% of cases.) I quickly came to the conclusion that I had to do some research.
I looked for anything and everything to read on this subject. Libraries were the go to source, and unlike today, computers were still considered the sole repository of offices. Network was the word, meaning internal network of connectivity, not internet. I think this was one of the articles. There wasn't much out there, but, this was one of the books. I may have seen this one, too.
What I found only validated my questions and concerns. Everything I found in support of vaccines always led to unsatisfactory answers and more questions. The scariest thing I found was that death is an acceptable risk. I absolutely do not agree with that statement.
Some of my questions.
* If natural immunity lasts longer and more effectively, why do we give vaccinations?
* Why not give the tools to help ease these diseases and make them pass quicker, easier and safer?
* What about the rise of allergies since the widespread use of vaccinations? (This one is soft, there are many reasons why allergies have been on the rise.)
* Why am I not immune? I had all of my shots in a timely manner.
I bought books to learn how to recognize these diseases and what to do to ease them, prevent them, help the body fight them, make the child(ren) more comfortable, how long they would last, when to contact the doctor (that still held a grudge about me not being immune. Small town, choice of 2 doctors.) I may have bought this book. It is so much quicker to go online, therefore it has been a while since I have actually seen the books - packed up in childhood memorabilia I suspect.
Would I have done it differently? Given different circumstances, probably. Given the same circumstances, yes; but, I still wouldn't have chosen to vaccinate.
*
Apparently, I am not to have free speech. Got it. The haters are Republican-minded. "There is one particular reason troll ratings should never be used: to express disagreement with a poster's opinion."