Pro

By: LaShawn Oglesby & LaMarcus Wilkerson

It is every parent’s right to decide whether or not to have their child vaccinated, but that choice can put other children who do get vaccinated in harm’s way.

Schools require that their students be vaccinated before attending. However, guardians can opt out of getting their child vaccinated by filing for a vaccine exemption.

Vaccinations are not 100 percent effective in preventing diseases. They lower a person’s chances of contracting diseases by 85 to 99 percent. If a disease is contracted, the symptoms will likely be minor and less problematic if the person has been vaccinated.

The protection that vaccinations bring is known community immunity or herd immunity. This term is defined by vaccines.gov: “When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak.”

The risk of contracting a disease rises within schools when a child attending the school is unvaccinated. So if there is more than one unvaccinated child in attendance, that risk is compounded.

It is understandable for parents who vaccinate their children to want other parents to do the same for the entire school’s safety. Vaccination isn’t just about one person’s safety; the more people who get their shots, the less likely it is that some dangerous disease will arise to take lives.

Parents and guardians who exercise their right to keep their children from vaccinations should be respectful and mindful of other parents by homeschooling their children.

However, if enough students aren’t being vaccinated, there should be schools provided for those children. Measles, chicken pox and polio are mostly a thing of the past, and many want to keep it that way by keeping their children vaccinated.

While everyone has the right to do what they want, those rights shouldn’t interfere with the safety of others. Having separate schools would help to keep that from happening. In such a situation, everyone gets the safe environment they want for their children, which is what really matters.

Con

Children, teenagers and adults of all ages follow a rigorous immunization schedule implemented by the institutions they are associated with.

Establishments force people to receive vaccinations for illnesses that are nonexistent. The mandatory vaccinations are enforced to guarantee safety from various diseases that could be potentially life-threatening.

At times, these vaccinations do not serve their initial purpose and may do more harm than help to an individual’s well-being.

Immunization shots are known to cause numerous side effects.

Common vaccinations, such as ones for HPV, smallpox and varicella, can cause individuals to experience discomfort. Side effects may include pain, swelling, nausea, headaches, fainting and seizures.

Too much energy is being put toward making sure an individual receives his or her vaccines. In order to ensure safety from diseases and promote wellness, institutions should reconsider vaccinations and shift their focus to a more reliable source of health.

Currently, immunizations are left solely up to chance. Vaccines can either affect you in a positive way or a negative one.

By receiving routine vaccination shots, individuals are gambling with their well-being, and if the vaccination doesn’t work it’s a waste of time.

The higher-ups that implement vaccination shots as requirements are misusing their power.

You should better invest your trust into something that isn’t left up to chance. Develop healthy eating habits and a good hygiene to help combat invading diseases. By doing so, individuals are not misplacing their trust in uncertain drugs which may do more harm than actual good.