To expect the Doctor to respect my wishes?

[loumum3]

I have not vaccinated my youngest child. I have done this after much research and made an informed decision. The Doctor's surgery has phoned me several times now and written requesting I go in for a discussion about this. I haven't got time for a visit to discuss this, nor do I want to so I said if I had to, I could talk about it on the phone....I have had the Doctor on the phone this afternoon grilling me about my choices, really trying to scare me into having the jabs done and trying to make me feel bad. She cannot see my point of view at all and has been very rude.

Is is really too much to expect a Doctor to respect the decisions I make about my own children ?

Has anyone else experienced this ?

I realise i may get flamed for my post but i dont care, its my opinion.

That would be fine if you only risked your children's health Leonie, but you don't. You risk other children's health. This I think is very selfish, an a luxury only afforded becuase you are lucky to live in a country where most people are socially responsible.

I'm assuming if your children get measles you'll happlily take the NHS up on the free treatment though...

Oh strictlytory in no doubt i bet those mothers who choose not to vaccinate their children will use the NHS for the treatment though.

the bcg (TB) isnt routinely given at 13/14 anymore. it is only given to babies 'at risk'.

work that one out...

Well isn't that everyone who hasn't had the BCG??

Yes they'll be there demanding help... and polio was such a good thing wasn't it, the NHS treatment for that looks great! I'm so thrilled some people seem determined to drag us back to the age of measles mumps and rubella I mean while we're at it lets refuse screaning for cancer, I mean why risk it?

Seriously, this country is a better place due to vaccination. Would you tell an African child not to bother with a mosquito net, no? Why risk a child's health?! We are able to prevent polio that ruined millions of lives, how can that be a bad thing???

I am concerned that parents who aren't vaccinating are doing so under two mistaken beliefs.
Firstly - that the diseases are 'rare' - they aren't -

and secondly that modern treatments are so superior that the effects of any illness will be much reduced.

Leonie's mention of antibiotics for tetanus below did nothing to convince me otherwise. And polio - a quick google yesterday revealed that there is still no effective treatment for polio. The management of the symptoms patients are left with may be better nowadays but there is precious little that can be done to treat the illness itself once contracted.

I see that still nobody in the vaccinate or be damned camp has yet been able to address any of my concerns.

The focus seems to be on insulting people's parenting.

Quite sad that anyone would be so dogmatic that they can't even see another's point of view and think that they are absolutely right when they don't even seem to have any evidence to back up their views.

At no point have I made negative references about parents who choose to vaccinate.

By the way, Northernlurker I do not fall into either category you cite, although I do believe that there are things you can do if your child contracts measles which would minimise the possibility of complications.

As an aside, the immunity conferred from catching rubella naturally is more effective than a vaccination. As a result we will have a generation of children whose immunity to this may have worn off once they come to have their own children (this happens even now).

So.......why are the government not offering young adults boosters?? It would seem sensible to do so if the child has been vaccinated from a young age, only for the protective effect to wear off when they reach an age where to catch the disease would be more dangerous.

Why do you suppose this is not offered? Doesn't really make any sense.

Electra I find your pov totally incomprehensible in that case - you understand that the diseases are both complex to treat and potentially at large in your community and you won't vaccinate? I don't get that at all.

"why are the government not offering young adults boosters??"

Both DD & DS's universities had vaccination booster programmes - I think for MMR and Meningitis.

I'm glad to hear that this is now the case.

Northernlurker - I suggest you re-read all of my posts then.

I see that still nobody in the vaccinate or be damned camp has yet been able to address any of my concerns.

The focus seems to be on insulting people's parenting.

Well no body is going to insult a child on why they do not get a vaccine, they are the result of their parents actions.

How so Pixie? As far as I know the introduction of MMR for young adults is a relatively new thing.

And because I didn't know about that particular thing everything else I've said must be nonsense?? Really I'm not going to waste my time here any more. What a crap 'argument'. I think you are grasping at straws......

My objections to the program for young children are understandable because of my mistrust of health officials - which I have explained my reasoning for earlier in the thread, the inconsistency and misrepresentation, the conflict of interest which arises from big companies who make money from pushing certain vaccines and the inevitable cost cutting which happens in any mass-program and the fall out and collateral damage which will result. I do also have other objections but I am not going to say them all again.

so, I presume you have the answers to my concerns then pinksox, if you feel you have the right to insult my parenting?

I do know about the vaccination program for young children, actually. I don't have teenage children ffs, my oldest is 8 - so why would I have reason to know that university students are now offered this?. I know that 10 years ago when I was at university we were not..... I do know what is being misrepresented when we are told a multitude of 'truths' about vaccination that don't add up. Don't be facetious.

Look, have any of you stopped to think that those of us who choose not to vaccinate have not made that decision lightly and that our lives would be a lot easier if we just blindly accepted everything we were told and went along with it? I don't wish to bury my head in the sand when I see things that are not right and which give me cause for concern.

Yes when the MMR was introduced we were originally told that one shot gives 100% protection forever......not so.