To be annoyed with family member about childhood jabs

[footflapper]

I would like a certain family member to make an informed choice about her Dd's jabs. So i'll be showing her this thread. She's absolutely refusing to let her 12 mo have any vaccinations due to the scare from many years ago about the now disproved link to autism. So I'm gonna try and make sure she has all the facts..

When I was 2 1/2mo pg (and nobody other than my manager knew (because I needed to run to the loo every 10 minutes feeling sick), the girl sitting opposite me in work came in and mentioned that she'd been told the night before that her little cousin she'd seen the weekend before had come out in a rash and they weren't sure if it was chicken pox or measles.

Even though I've had both diseases (measles at 2, fortunately without any after effects, and chicken pox at 7), I was shitting myself concerned to say the least until I managed to get hold of my friend who's a nurse who assursed me that my acquired immunity should protect my baby. Until then though, my manager came up with an excuse to move me to a different desk further up the office so I didn't have to stay near the potential carrier (as I then viewed the girl) or disclose my pregnancy until I was ready.

DD will be having her first MMR in 2 months - I was lucky, my DD might not be.

yabsu

I really don't understand... I am all for parental choice in most things, but surely the recent measles outbreak in Wales is a demonstration of what can happen if a lot of people choose not to vaccinate.
Not only are the children whose parents decided not to vaccinate (who were not old enough to make informed consent one way or another) but now other people in the population are at risk of contracting measles as well.
I know a lot of parents made decisions about MMR at that time because of media coverage at the time, but what about the other vaccinations?
Not trying to be argumentative - I just really don't get it.

Oh for gods sake.

Okay. Lets make it the same as drunk driving then. To keep the shove it down your throat brigade happy.

So how will that work then? Everyone will have a duty to report any child that isn't vaccinated? What happens if I don't report because I think it's none of your business?

Parents will be arrested? Well, that's what happens to a drunk driver. And me as a non-reporter, me too?

Then what? Kids forcilbly lifted from their parents houses and taken to be vaccinated? Imagine the scenes. Or would it be done at school with or without parental consent. Because that would bring its own issues.

This the the uk. It's not 1984. We don't have big brother. And one of the things that gives us is freedom of choice.

If you don't like it that much I suggest you emigrate.

Or alternatively. Lets make a list of alt he things that "parenting" experts and doctors tell us we currently have a choice over. And lets ale them exactly how I think they should be. Because all of a sudden I'm god and I'm the boss of everyone.

Firstly, no bikes. Experts have shown categorically that when a kid is hit by a car it does them harm. Therefore, no bikes. It's important to protect all our children from these dreadful infernal Machines. Bikes are banned. Forthwith.

Next. Cars. For the same reason. If a child is hit by a car it has the potential to kill. So. No cars.

What? You want your car? You've thought about it and yes figures show injuries but in your case it's justified?

Tough. No. Cars are banned forthwith.

Now, if you start forcing your will on people, in theory it sounds great when it's something you don't care about, but what about if its not? Would you go against your principles ?

Freddie, I like the cut of your gib :o

And who is the OP to say that her relative hasn't weighed the pros and cons? Unless she is party to her relative's internal thought processes she has no idea of whether the pros and cons have been weighed. Her relative has made a decision, the OP has judged it inadequate - heavily biased by her belief that her relative is a bit thick because she watches soaps and wasn't very academic at school - and has gone into full on busy body mode.

Regardless of my, your or anyone else's opinions it is not illegal to choose to not vaccinate your child. I had the legal freedom to decide to vaccinate mine, Mrs Nextdoor has the legal freedom to choose not to vaccinate hers.

I think I've protected my children from a perceived risk (illness) as best I can, if she thinks she's protecting hers from a perceived risk (vaccines) as best she can then on a fundamental level we're both doing the same thing, we just have different notions of what is best.

The OP should mind her own business and is being very unreasonable to start pressuring her relative (because bombarding someone with information and a list of people who say she's doing it wrong is pressure) simply because that relative has made a decision she doesn't agree with.

I agree bears.

I'm also interested where the father is in this debate.

I'm just repeated what other posters have said.

I'm in the you should vaccinate your child camp (unless there is a medical reason that particular child is not suitable). Public health is everyone's business. If you don't immunise your child you put them and all unvaccinated child and people at risk.