What exercises you most about other people's parenting? Fess up.

[zizou]

I am secretly very unreasonable about people who live in cities who do not vaccinate their children.

the people I know who haven't vaccinated (and there are quite a few of them) either don't vaccinate because their child's immune system is already seriously compromised, or because they have been strongly influenced by Andrew Wakefield's MMR study and the media reports surrounding it.

but surley you're putting your child and other childdren at risk when you dont vaccinate. we are so lucky to live in a country that offers us this protection for our children. i wonder what people who live in countries where their children are not vaccinated and dying needlessly of deseases that we dont have to worry about would think about refusing a vaccination?

You know, apart from extreme caricatures like the 'parents of tarquin the free spirit' (luckily haven't actually come across any in rl) and out-and-out abuse, I am not really irritated by other people's parenting styles. I am excessively irritated by some other people though..... [crusty halo]

Janekirrage, If only it were that simple. Sometimes we have to weigh up the pros and cons so see which side falls heaviest sometimes when they stay level its a cause for concern.

Colditz - you'd do better to eat that iced bun I think.

OK - I did try to divert the thread and it didn't work, so I've started a vaccination one.

Huh. I ate that one ten minutes ago!

i agree that it is very complicated and i can totally understand parents who have real reasons not to vaccinate, but i do agree that if you have no real/valid reason not to vaccinate, it is your social duty to do so. otherwise where would the vurable children who cant be vaccinated be?

Mamma2, oops, didn't realise you'd asked a question. Not sure about any raised eyebrows, was too harassed to notice, really. Think ds was running off repeatedly or something.

jane - perhaps I would agree with you if

1 vaccination was 100% effective

2 it was safer

3 the government presented a more balanced view of the risk/benefit ratio.

As it is I think the benefits are overplayed and the risks underplayed. And if your child is vaccine damaged everyone will say it couldn't possibly have been the vaccne.

sorry, going now

But it is a testimony to the success of the vaccination programme that we have the luxury of weighing up the options. Safer than what exactly? If children weren't vaccinated then the risk of deadly diseases would be huge.

My cousin was born deaf due to my aunt catching rubella during pregnancy.

My best freind when I was 6 ended up deaf in one ear from measles. A boy from my school died from measles during the same epidemic. I was lucky, i only caught it mildly. I remember it well even though it was nearly 40 years ago.

There is another thread, for exactly this subject, where other peole will be able to add their point of veiw too, so maybe you would get a better and more multifaceted discussion there?

It may be effective (some more than others) but that doesn't necessarily mean it's ethical. And I do not have any reason to believe that vaccination policy in this country is ethical.

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here

What's unethical about saving lives?

IME most people who are pro-vaccination think it's all about saving lives and there's nothing bad about it but that's where I disagree. And I have good reason for doing so.

I think if you have a strong medical reason to believe your child shouldn't be vaccinated, ie, autism worries/allergies/premature baby, etc- well take the risk, i can see why you would be worried.
But if it's for some airy-fairy human rights issue. These people should be ashamed of themselves.

There's nothing unethical about saving lives, but I do think its unethical to have a system that doesn't compensate for harm (and the vaccine damage payment scheme doesn't work- the US system used to be better and was funded by the drugs companies).

I'm desperately trying to think of something else that exercises me about other people's parenting....Could the MN shop have one of those car signs about 'big fertile testicles on board' - that really cracked me up.

Right, I'm off to the vaccination thread.

theshrimp. All children have rights and as parents what makes it difficult for us is that we have to decide for them whether or not to sign them up to an invasive procedure.

I for one, think that it was unethical for our government to keep on giving babies vaccines with mercury in them when they knew about the risk. Then when they decided to act upon the risk they tried to cover up why.

They are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves.

agree with gess too