Do You Think Childhood Vaccinations Should Be Compulsory?

[Persephone1]

I think the only thing that should be compulsory is that parents be allowed to make a fully informed decision about immunisations. Currently, GPs, MCHNs, etc, only hand out government-published pamphlets about immunisations. The government websites only provide reasons why we should vaccinate, not arguments against. If you want to know the ingredients in a particular vaccine, you have to do the research yourself (and as someone who's doing that research right now, it's HARD to find balanced information that I can understand as a non-medically trained person).

What's more, vaccines are grouped together, which further takes away our choice. If I want to give my DS the whooping cough vaccine but not the Diptheria vaccine, apparently I can't do that because they're given in the same dose. WHY? It should be our choice as parents, not the pharma companies.

I also don't like being told what to do. Give me the arguments for and against, and allow me to make an informed decision, and there's a possibility I'll do what you want me to do - but it's my decision.

[briggsy's girl]

Really? Without a COF? I get the CCR now, but I have signed a COF.

you need to sign the COF - otherwise CCB can (and will) be with held until you are either up to date with injections, have signed COF or have an approved catch up schedule that your GP provides to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register

the stopping of CCB is to remind parents to do one of the above - people forget - it's human nature - but when a potentially large sum of money is on the line (think of someone on max rate child care and CCR - a week of no rebates could cost them in excess of 200 dollars) - it is a good reminder for them isn't it? you are not obliged to have your child immunised - you are, however, obliged to show that you have made a conscious decision (via COF) rather than simply forgetting or being too lazy to do something. This is also the reason that the MIA has been split up now to be delivered at 18months (ish) and after 4 year old immunisations - for some people, that piddly amount of money is important, and if they get a letter saying "hey, you're not up to date, you won't get that payment" they'll get off their backsides and either get their child immunised of sign COF



personally, i will have DD immunised - i have seen a child with whooping cough and she was very very ill. her mum admitted "oh, i forgot to get her needles" - that child was in FDC in my home, and infected my dad (he was immunocompromised due to emphysema) and he became extremely unwell and was like that for a long long time (months). he couldn't be left alone for over 3 months as he would start coughing, lose consciousness and collapse. thankfully no other children in care caught it (i believe all were vaccinated but i can't be sure). it took over six weeks for my dad to be diagnosed (the child was taken out of care due to her illness and didn't let anyone know of the diagnosis - it was only discovered after mum made a call to her to let her know of dad's diagnosis) - my cousin also caught it (she was 21) and it led to her getting meningitis (can't recall how - i think it was due to her being immunocomprimised from the WC)

now, i have no issue with people making a conscious decision, after researching, to not vax their children. it is entirely up to them. and i would be appalled at any government that even attempted to legislate - but i don't mind having "incentives" in place to remind people to follow the schedule. if you choose to vaccinate, the schedule is there for a reason - getting a reminder (and lets face it - hip pocket reminders hit the hardest) isn't a bad thing (this is what happens now) - if you don't want to vaccinate it doesn't take much to lodge a form does it?

[*TripleJ*]

i vax and thats my decision and it heartbreaking seeing DS so upset when it does happen but theres no way i could be forced to do something i dont want to do when it comes to my kids its the same for all other parenting decisions you cant take away ppls right to choose

[BellyBelly]

I just want to say... I am really impressed with everyone, you are all so wonderful! No matter what you would choose, you see the importance of everyone having a choice, even if it's not your own and you respect one another's choices, discussing these things with such understanding. Such a great bunch on BB xx

[meow]

you need to sign the COF - otherwise CCB can (and will) be with held until you are either up to date with injections, have signed COF or have an approved catch up schedule that your GP provides to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register

Thanks- that's what I thought. I was pretty sure you can't get the CCB/CCR without vaxxing or signing a COF.

[Just Me]

The results of the poll on here are a bit surprising though ... only 55% of us (at the moment) would say a definite 'no' to compulsory vaxing. I would have thought the results would be much stronger for a straight up 'no' than what they are. I don't really have a point, just that I am surprised by the results at the moment ...

[homeopathmichele]

NO way, is anyone ever going to make it compulsory to inject harmful toxins into my children and risk advese reactions and an incompromised immune system.

It is so frustrating how many already think that the childhood immunisation schedule is already compulsory. Haven't the government marketing groups done a great job on that one!!

[~Trish~]

I voted NO. Although our children are immunised (we too made an informed decision we are happy with), I would be horrified if that choice was taken away from us and from others. How dare anyone force that upon us!

[BellyBelly]

Same here, Just Me.

[Sammiejane]

I voted NO

Molly Jane recently caught the Chicken Pox, from a vaccinated child... So vaccinating children will not stop the spread.
Making it compulsory in Australia will not stop the spread as we holiday overseas where it will not be compulsory and people holiday or immigrate from countries that will not have made it compulsory.

I choose not to vac any longer, i made an informed, educated and well researched decision... it is however my choice and understand that others vaccinate for their own reasons... each to their own, as long as it is not a blind decision. - i would have been mighty annoyed if i had of vaccinated MJ against Chicken Pox and she had of got them anyway!

[Pretty Butterfly]

Exactly what i thought JM..... So many saying they can see both sides and everyone deserves a choice, but the stats show that only about half actually believe that, and our kids should be jabbed without our say so....

[Pretty Butterfly]

I voted NO

Molly Jane recently caught the Chicken Pox, from a vaccinated child... So vaccinating children will not stop the spread.
Making it compulsory in Australia will not stop the spread as we holiday overseas where it will not be compulsory and people holiday or immigrate from countries that will not have made it compulsory.

I choose not to vac any longer, i made an informed, educated and well researched decision... it is however my choice and understand that others vaccinate for their own reasons... each to their own, as long as it is not a blind decision. - i would have been mighty annoyed if i had of vaccinated MJ against Chicken Pox and she had of got them anyway!

Its hilarious isn't it?? my eldest 3 caught CP again (they are vac'd) when my 3 littlies did.. I could tell the littlies had them, but the big ones just got a few spots I didn't notice... so who was out spreading it??? My vac'd ones, not the unvac ones!!! There is SO much more spreading going on from the boarders than from unvac kidlets, but they make us out to be practically lepars!!!

[boobaloo]

I am personally a big believer in vaccinations, and both of my children are up to date with thier needles. that being said, i don't discriminate others who make an informed decision to not vaccinate. however, i believe that if fail-safe vaccinations were produced, then i'd be more inclined to say they should be compulsory. just my humble opinion.

[Fleur]

Haven't read all the replies yet, just a couple, so I'll go back after.
We have vacced all our kids, although no swine flu vax & there won't be any chicken pox vax either.

I think it's really, really important to have the right to an informed decision.

I voted NO. Although our children are immunised (we too made an informed decision we are happy with), I would be horrified if that choice was taken away from us and from others. How dare anyone force that upon us!

:yeahthat: exactly what I was thinking. The whole point of choosing to vacc is that we have a CHOICE.

The results of the poll on here are a bit surprising though ... only 55% of us (at the moment) would say a definite 'no' to compulsory vaxing. I would have thought the results would be much stronger for a straight up 'no' than what they are. I don't really have a point, just that I am surprised by the results at the moment ...

I'm surprised by that too. Nothing else, just a bit surprised.

[~ Mylitta ~]

I did hours and hours of reading and even went to see a specialist before we made the informed not to vaccinated DS at this time. The specialist recommended NOT vaccinating him with some of the vaccines based on our situation, but also said that some of the others should be fine.

There are some vaccines that I would gladly give DS IF they were available singly, not as a combo vaccine. For example, I don't want to give him a vaccine for polio, when we don't even have polio in Australia. I'm often asked "but what if he decides to travel when he's older?". But isn't the answer simple? He can then decide to get the vaccine before he travels to a problem area, just like we currently do with the typhoid vaccine... I wish the government would stop spending money on campaigns to try to get more parents to vaccinate, and spend more money on research to improve the efficacy and safety of vaccines. Perhaps then those of us making the conscious choice not to vaccinate would be happier to vaccinate.

[nickle730]

Ok... I'll try to get out what's in my head without saying it wrong!!

Vaccinating is not just about protecting the vaccinated child, but about protecting those in our community whom are most vulnerable to disease - the young, the elderly and the immuno-suppressed. Whether it is BG's dad with emphysema, a child undergoing chemotherapy or a person with HIV, many of the diseases which can be vaccinated against would be devastating for the immuno-suppressed patient and potentially fatal. A healthy child with a fully armed immune system will most likely recover fully from a dose of the measles. A child undergoing treatment for leukaemia may not survive the same infection. The aim of a program of mass-vaccination is not specifically to prevent the illness from occurring in an individual, but to prevent a pandemic or an epidemic of disease. Mass vaccination is proven to be effective in disease epidemic prevention - there is no question it works in large scale disease prevention.

So, it is the government's job to make the decisions which provide the best safety and security for this country and it's citizens as a whole. There is no question that more people would die as a result of an epidemic of disease than would die from mass vaccination. We only need look at disease pandemics of the past (the Black Plague, Avian Flu etc) to see that this is true. So then... would it be unreasonable to consider that mass vaccination would be made compulsory in order to best protect most of us?

Does this mean that I think it should be compulsory to vaccinate my child? I don't know... I'm one of those undecided people.

Do I need to hide under a chair??

[Just Me]

Nickle - Good on you for having the courage to say what you think on here and I hope you would only receive respectful replies so you shouldn't need to hide under a chair

I can see your point about it being a community safety issue and although I am pro-vax for my own family, I still feel that I would be having my rights removed to be forced into it. Also once vaxing becomes compulsory and the legislation as a whole is passed, it is much easier to slip other things in there without anyone really having a say so. Even if the current vaxes were 100% effective (which they are currently not), and there was a guaranteed safety for everyone who had them (which there isn't - but I believe we are in a low risk category but I do acknowledge there are side effects), I would still be fundamentally against it being compulsory.

I don't like anything that takes away our right to choose and makes it easier for the gov't to change the schedule without community input so while I don't have many issues with the vax schedule at the moment, there is nothing to say that it is not going to change in the future and I would like the option to research and opt out if I feel that it's not right. By making things compulsory, we will all lose that ability to choose.

I hope that makes sense

[anney]

Nickle73, no need to hide from me. I agree with what you are saying. I also believe those of us that choose to vax contribute to the immunity of the entire population.
I am a bit older than some of you and I remember people who had polio and what a debilitating disease it could be.
I do agree however that because our lives are "cleaner" these days that some of these diseases probably would not spread as they used to. However I believe that if we did not immunise, it would be the more vulnerable members of our community that got the diseases if they recurred, rather than those that have the luxury of practicing good hygiene.