Anti Vaxx threads shouldn't be allowed

[turnthebiglightoff]

AIBU to suggest that anti vaxxer threads should be reported and removed? This site is so important to many members, impressionable women will inevitably take someone's word as gospel if they already have concerns themselves. I suggest the deletion message signposts to speak to your local NHS teams / GP / visit the NHS website etc. I don't think MN allows MLM promotion; arguably this is of greater importance as it could affect so many (children's) health.

Does anyone disagree? I'd be really interested to hear why. *I really don't mean this as a TAAT as I believe this is a wider issue.

While I agree with you fully about vaccines, I don’t agree with policing conversation.

I think antivaxxers are very misinformed. But slippery slope to start saying certain topics are banned. Also the debate might help some neutral people realise vaccines are good.

I never thought I would find myself saying it to be honest. I hate the idea of policing conversation but I just wonder whether by not doing it MN are saying "yeah crack on telling people they're wrong for vaccinating their kids". It just sits so badly with me. Maybe a MNHQ message reminding us that NHS guidance is to vaccinate. I don't know. I just think it's scary that people will believe the nonsense the Antivaxxers spout. Because it is nonsense.

My DC have all been vaccinated, but I don't think that the topic should be banned. Far better for everyone to be able to have their say and let people make their own minds up about what to do.

Free speech and all that!

Every anti Vax poster is left in absolutely no doubt how many people disagree with them and myths are dispelled.

That is by far better than people with doubts absorbing distorted information from echo chambers.

Uh, yes, very unreasonable. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it's wrong.

They have their view, you have yours. YABU

I'm curios as to why people are anti vax. Also if they post it's a chance to counter argue. Silencing them will just make them martyrs

If you have them shut down here, they’ll only pop up again somewhere else where they may be challenged so robustly and shown up to be the utter tripe they are. Shutting down conversation doesn’t make it go away it just makes it better at hiding itself. I’d rather posters were allowed to post all manner of shite so they can be intelligently and systematically taken down by those who are a little better at critical thinking. That’s a far better way of educating others.
Also, on a slightly different note, those who support having others silenced, shouldn’t be surprised to find themselves silenced one day.

Every anti-vaxxer does more to actually turn people ON to having their kids vaccinated by their sheer nuttery.

Let ‘em stand. Everyone deserves a platform to make themselves look a wally

impressionable women will inevitably take someone's word as gospel if they already have concerns themselves.

That's really quite insulting.

If any parent takes the word of some randoms on an internet forum before making such an important decision, there's really no hope for them or their kids tbh.

Absolutely don’t delete their threads it’s a perfect opportunity for the rest of us to try and talk some sense into them

MN will delete the most outrageous misinformation

I think the threads should stand, even though they are rather same-y

I doubt we'll ever persuade an anti-vaxxer to change their mind. But a good natured debunking thread might be useful for readers who have perhaps seen anti vax material elsewhere, and who should have a chance to see why it's rubbish

I think the threads should be deleted. Stupidity can be contagious.

I’m Irish and fought really hard to decriminalize abortion here in Ireland, conversation is what helped us repeal the eighth amendment and speaking to people who considered me a murderer. It has to be done OP.

don't be ridiculous, where do you draw the line with stupid threads?

Strongly disagree. I disapprove of what you say but I defend to the death your right to say it and all that.

I'd rather they posted the threads and had their arse handed to them than stayed in their own little corner of the internet letting the stupidity brew among others like them. Leave the threads up and remember if they read something that makes them see sense they are hardly going to admit it.

YABVU

My dc were vaccinated, but vaccine damage is a real thing that does exist. Pro vaccine people trying to pretend that it doesn’t is as awful as some of the things that anti vaxxers say.

For the small number of people that are affected by vaccine damage, or for the many people that are advised to delay or amend the vaccine schedule, it would be horrible for them not to be allowed to talk about it on a website that is supposed to support parents.

Thanks all. Really good points; I don't believe or agree it's insulting to say impressionable women will pick up the nonsense; if they didn't then we wouldn't have many anti vaxxers at all.

I agree that stupidity is contagious; all it takes is one person saying "my friend vaccinated their kids and....... blah blah" for another person to decide not to vaccinate.

Life is not black and white.

I have a vaccine damaged child. (And yes, before you ask, her doctor acknowledges that.) So my experience is different to yours and I think it is OK to talk about that.

I vaccinated my DD1 in accordance with the recommendations of the time and it didn't work out for us. The particular vaccine that hurt her is no longer available.

It's a big subject and one I think people should be able to speak freely about.

If you are confident in the facts of the matter you have nothing to fear from discussion.

No, I like to know who to avoid. And an anti vax is definitely to be avoided.

YABU
I think debate should be allowed.

I think this is one of those things where everyone knows an anti vaxxer in real life. They just don’t know that they do!

My kids don’t have all their vax and in RL I keep quiet about it.

Trying to tell people they are stupid hasn’t worked to get vaxx rates up.

We need to allow discussion, dispel groundless fears but be honest about the risks that there are. Eg it is acknowledged that the swine flue vaccine caused narcolepsy in some children when their mothers had it in pg. I’m very sceptical about vaccines in pg and so I didn’t do the whooping cough jab when pg.

I don’t think the threads should be removed