Thursday, May 28, 2009

Vaccinations Anyone?

Okay, I'm usually a total hippie- I eat tofu, wear long colorful skirts, and am an advid listener of Public Radio. So naturally, I am very skepticle of the whole immunization/vaccination process. I have spent many nights surfing the web, reading articles to support the argument against vaccinations. I even talked it over with my cousin- we'll call her Candice- whom I look up to when it comes to all matters of parenting. Candice is 88% vegan, stunting long beautiful dreds and is a firm believer in breastfeeding her children far into toddlerhood. She has not vaccinated her two oldest children, however being the wise woman she is, she told me it is a very personal decision and gave me a few references to do the research on my own.

Needless to say, after hearing alarming statistics of very healthy non-vaccinated children and their unhealthy doped-up, vaccinated counterparts, I was well on my way to bucking the system and going needle free for my little one. The first thing that probably popped into your mind was AUTISM, and while this was definately a main motivator, it was not what tipped me over the edge. It was reading that the number of immunizations given to American children has almost trpled in the past 25 years. With no preceeding epedemic to warrant this excess, I concluded it must have been the greed of major pharmeceutical companies. Then an unexpected turn . . .

My grandmother came all the way across the country from Philadelphia to visit me and her newborn great-granddaughter when she was just five days old. I told her I had already opted out on the Hep B shot in the hospital and I planned on continuing the trend. She ajusted her glasses and gazed out reminiscently and began to recall stories of children in the 1930s dying left and right of whooping cough and diptheria. She said many days she heard news of so-and-so being hospitalized at the tender age of 5 or 6 of these incurable and possibly fatal diseases. Then she told me of her own bout with the measles as an adult- pure hell- just the thought of it made her grimace. She didin't give me advice one way or the other, but I knew in my heart that I would take the subject a lot more serious.

I am no doctor. I am no scholar. I am just a parent who loves my child and would do anything to protect her. From one parent to another I urge you to consider this from all angles and May GOD have Mercy on us ALL.

This website has helped me a great deal. www.generationrescue.org

3 comments:

zara2009 said...

I agree with the to each his own attitude, but I also know that there are children dying daily of diseases that we in the West don't have to deal with. Shots that these children need to live are optional to us. It is quite possible that immunizations is what keeps us "safe". Sure there are those who say well before immunazations what did people do? They died of chicken pox influenza, polio, and measles. I also think immunizations are necessay now do the rate at which we can travel and come into conact with one anther on a transglobal level. We are nl longer in the days of taking a three month trip by carriage and buggy to see granny in montana or a three month cruise to england.
But to each it own. My baby is vaccinated and as long I can afford it he will stay that way and I will pray that nothing goes wrong.

zara2009 said...

yeah, I see my typos but you know what I meant.:)

Muslim Mommy said...

All we can do is what we think is best and pray to God that he protect our babies!