Should parents be obliged to immunize thier children against childhood diseases? Or do individuals have the right to choose not to immunise their children?

The issue of whether we should force parents to immunise their children against common diseases is, in my opinion, a social rather than a medical question. Since we are free to choose what we expose our bodies to in the way of food, drink, or religion for that matter, why should the question of medical “treatment” be any different? Medical researchers and governments are primarily interested in overall statistics and trends

and in money saving

Suggestion

and money saving

schemes which fail to take into consideration the individual’s concerns and rights. While

immunisation

against diseases

such

as tetanus and whooping cough may be effective, little information is released about the harmful effects of vaccinations which can sometimes result in stunted growth or even death. The body is designed to resist disease and to create its own natural immunity through contact with that disease. So when children are given artificial immunity, we create a vulnerable society which is entirely dependent on

immunisation

. In the event that mass

immunisation

programmes were to cease, the society as a whole would be more at risk than ever before.

In

addition there

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addition, there

is the issue of the rights of the individual. As members of a

society why

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society, why

should we be obliged to subject our children to

this

potentially harmful practice? Some people may

also

be against

immunisation

on religious grounds and their needs must

also

be considered. For these reasons I feel strongly that

immunisation

programmes should not be obligatory and that the individual should have the right to choose whether or not to participate.