Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Cynthia Davis offers thoughts on vaccinations and personal responsibility

In her latest column, former Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, now an internet radio talk show host, addresses the subject of vaccinations.

America was founded by people who understood personal responsibility. Regardless of how you feel about the idea of vaccinating yourself, the tone of disdain and disrespect for those who choose to not vaccinate is unsettling.

The debate appears to center around vaccinations, but it's really more about respect for others, especially respect for the right of parents to make the choice for their own children. Whenever government uses the power of the iron fist to shame some for their personal choices, we have a problem..

The animosity appears to be between the "Pro-Vaxxers" and the "Anti-Vaxxers". It may help you feel some compassion to know that the majority of those opposed to forced vaccinations have faced a personal tragedy with their own children or a close friend or relative.

Ultimately where you fall in your own understanding depends on whom you trust. There are risks on both sides. The Amish, who have a lower vaccination rate, also have a far lower rate of autism.

If your child is the one who is brain damaged or dies, it's too late to take it back. There is no way to "unvaccinate". There is no reverse medicine, antidote or undo button. It would be helpful if there were a test to determine if someone is sensitive or is genetically likely to have a bad outcome.

There are some myths at the root of the philosophical chasm. Nobody knows everything that goes into re-wiring a person's immune system and nobody can guarantee the result. All you can know is statistical data predicting the odds:
8 Things Pro-Vaxxers Say That Contradict Each Other.

Some bills filed this year flagrantly imply that children don't belong to the parents, but to the State! Mandating vaccinations or disclosing private medical information is philosophically corrosive to personal responsibility. A Missouri Representative filed a bill designed to humiliate parents who choose not to vaccinate their cherished children:
Area Health Officials Skeptical of Vaccination Disclosure Bill

This proposed bill actually says:
Any public, private, or parochial day care center, preschool, or nursery school shall notify the parent or guardian of a child enrolled in or attending the facility, upon request, of whether there are children currently enrolled in or attending the facility for whom an immunization exemption has been filed.
It makes you wonder if they should just pin a scarlet letter on these students. This new bill is all about using the tool of shame and humiliation to achieve a higher rate of compliance.

The additional information is of no practical value to the other parents. There is nothing anyone can do differently as a result of finding out who is not vaccinated. You could be in the grocery store standing right next to someone who had not been vaccinated and not know it.

When lawmakers file bills, it certainly would help if they would consider the impact their bills may have on suppressing and extinguishing freedom and personal responsibility from our culture.

WHAT YOU CAN DO...1.) Don't be led into the trap of issuing judgement and criticism on others who have not vaccinated. They may have very good reasons for their decisions.

2.) Check what kind of vaccination laws are being proposed in your state. If you live in Missouri, let Rep. Franklin know that there is another side to this issue.

3.) If you affiliate with the Republican Party, let other Republicans know that this kind of idea is contrary to the values in the Republican Platform and question why anyone in the Republican Party is pushing for ideas that strip us of our parental choices and personal responsibility. If vaccinations are such a great idea, let the drug companies act like a free-market entity. They need to do their own promotions and bear the burden of convincing the public.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read her (former Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, now an internet radio talk show host) article and did not see any citations as to where she found her information. I'm not sure the Amish are a society that readily tests for such things as Autism. So I would be suspicious that there would be a credible link between the Amish not vaccinating and having lower occurrences of Autism.

Anonymous said...

Why is she even insinuating that Autism and vaccines are linked? The original study that started the hype was junk science. People were paid off and later lost their licenses. Even the Autism Speaks website encourages everyone (who can) to be vaccinated https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/policy-statements/information-about-vaccines-and-autism.

Ron said...

Christ, this woman is an idiot. The story about the lack of autistic Amish children is complete crap. Most Amish vaccinate their children. And you'll find kids with autistic behaviors in Amish communities and other Mennonite communities, such as the Hutterites. The only difference is that Amish parents don't typically take these kids to be tested and diagnosed officially. The families and communities just deal with the kids the best they can.

http://autism-news-beat.com/archives/29

http://blogs.plos.org/thepanicvirus/2011/06/28/anecdotal-amish-dont-vaccinate-claims-disproved-by-fact-based-study/

Dusty Roads said...

Autism is the new in thing, lots of government funded jobs were created and new buildings constructed. Every other new job listing in Joplin is Ozark Center related.

Anonymous said...

The Amish, who don't use cars, have a far lower death rate from car accidents!

Where's my internet radio talk show?!