Diane Robertson
Someone with the measles went to Disney Land and suddenly the ongoing vaccination debate explodes. Many angry parents, and pediatricians call for the government to intervene and force everyone to vaccinate their children. Some have even called for children to be taken away if parents refuse to vaccinate them!
A doctor, William Schaffner, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN said, “It’s not just about you. You’re part of a social order. You’ve got to make your own contribution to it. You can’t opt out.”
A couple of days ago a statement attributed to pediatrician, Mike Ginsberg, was publicized. “I will not have measles-shedding children sitting in my waiting room. I will answer all your questions about vaccine and present you with facts, but if you will not vaccinate then you will leave my practice. I will file a CPS report (not that they will do anything) for medical neglect, too.” Whether this extreme statement was said by this doctor or not, many, many people agreed that such measures should be taken.
Think about the proposal here. As of Jan 30th, 102 people, of more than 3 million, or approximately .000034% of the population are sick with a fairly preventable disease, and the majority of people seem to want the government to gain more access to the homes of lives of American families. They want more government regulation. Instead of entrusting the medical care of children to the parents, they want to take that trust away and give it to the government. And why? Because of fear.
What if, the government heeds the call? My guess is that there are bills being written right now in state legislatures to make this change. Do American parents really want this? What are some cases in which the government became involved in the medical decisions of children?
The Justina Pelletier case is one example. But, if one googles the words, “parents ask for second opinion and cps takes children,” a whole bunch of articles report cases where children have been seized because their parents simply wanted a second opinion from a different doctor. This ought to frighten parents at least as much as the measles!
Given the opportunity, some members of government would like to dictate what parents can and cannot teach their children in their own homes. Many in government have been pushing comprehensive sexual education on kindergarten and pre-school students.
Some other possible implications of allowing more government intervention into family life has already come up such as government dictating what kids can and cannot eat at school. A couple of years ago, a preschool student had her home lunch thrown away and was required to eat the school’s chicken nuggets. What if the family was vegetarian? What if the child was allergic to milk or wheat? The government should not have that kind of control over children because only the parents know the child well enough to make competent decisions.
Families may be a part of society, but in the United States, we are not a part of a “social order”. Parental rights need to be protected and safeguarded. Don’t let fear take away the rights of parents to make decisions for their children. A big government cannot possibly know what is best for each individual child, but the majority of parents do.
**Now before anyone explodes with anger, rest at ease, all of my kids are up to date on their vaccinations.**
**United Families International does not take a stand on vaccinations. But UFI does take a stand on parental rights.**