Page 40 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

The children vaccination for entry into school at every level child neglect charges. It is an unfortunate fact

of the United of a child’s development. that parents who decline vaccination have been
thrown out of their doctors’ offices and children
States RESISTANCE have been refused entry into school. In extreme
represent the Yet resistance to the mandatory vaccination cases, officials have charged parents with medical
most highly schedule is growing and millions of parents child neglect and forced them to go to court to
are questioning both the underlying science of retain the right to raise their child.
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vaccinated vaccination and expressing concerns about side Yet it is also true that many parents
population in effects. A 2003 study found that 93 percent of experience no resistance from authorities with
the world. pediatricians and 60 percent of family physicians their right of vaccination refusal unchallenged,
reported at least one family that had refused a as long as they follow the various state laws for
vaccine for their child. exemption.
For those with a choice, when a parent choos-
es to limit or opt out of the vaccination schedule, HOW TO OPT OUT
a wide variety of official responses have been Since this short article cannot examine every
reported ranging from no difficulties at all, to vaccine, if you have questions about a specific
the opposite extreme, official threats of medical vaccine, please see the footnotes and recom-

Polio, smallpox and diphtheria were in decline before the introduction of vaccinations. Mandatory smallpox vaccination in
England and Wales resulted in a huge increase in the disease. Typhoid fever died out with no vaccination program.

38 Wise Traditions