Martina and I have decided not to vaccinate Ellie after considerable research into the matter, and I was glad to see someone standing up in support of those who choose not to (or to selectively) vaccinate their children. Jessica Gianelloni discusses the fallacies in the arguments meant to intimidate or scare those who have made this decision. My favourite part is when she questions why parents of vaccinated children are so scared of non-vaccinated children being around them (since presumably they are immune to any disease that my child might be harbouring…).
I’m not one to push my decisions or theories on others, but I felt compelled to share this article, in light of some of the responses that we’ve seen to the mention of not vaccinating Ellie, including from our closest friends (who assume that we’ve taken this choice lightly [we spent hours researching and read unbiased books on the subject], are “miss-educated” [or miseducated – oh, the irony] and are doing it because we’re part of a hippy movement [not because we’re concerned for the welfare and health of our children]).
If you want to vaccinate your children, that’s fine – go nuts: you won’t hear me complaining. But don’t get on your soapbox and start bullying me into making the same decisions that you make.
Bravo Dave! We have extensively researched this topic and have made the decision not to vaccinate our future children either. Don’t worry, you are not alone. As you said, there are many bullies about raising children. We can only take the high road my friend!
Thanks Alison :) Yes, I’m usually quite reserved and introverted, but since having Ellie, I’ve realised that I’ve had to stand up a lot more and defend our position on a number of matters in how we’ve decided to raise Ellie, particularly since most of those choices are atypical. I’m not about to be made to feel guilty for how we’ve decided to raise Ellie, but everyone has their opinion and they’re certainly not afraid to make it known. Be prepared for that!