Without going into the nitty gritty with statistics, toxic ingredients, pharmaceutical company conflicts of interest etc, I find the best thing to say something like "I have studied vaccines extensively over the years and my husband and I firmly believe, along with many doctors and health professionals out there, that vaccines are not in the best interests for health, and that they cause more harm than good."
If they wish to know more about why you have come to that conclusion, than you can always (kindly) recommend a resource like the book listed in my sig - which contains over 1000 referenced articles. If they turn to the research they will find for themselves that it is the vaccinated that suffer far more from both minor (asthma, eczema, influenza etc) and major (seizures, autism, ADHD, SIDS) adverse health conditions - including those which they are vaccinated against, than the unvaccinated. Their fearful assumption that their child is 'at risk' from those that are unvaccinated is not only unsupported by research, but it is contrary to it. Oh, and I have learnt that people perceive 'informed decision' to be very different things. I believe that simply asking the doctor "hey doc, should I vaccinate my kids?/ what are the side effects of this vaccine?" is not sufficient to make an informed decision.
It's certainly a tough one. I am generally a non-confrontational person, and will avoid the topic altogether if I can in order to 'keep the peace', and yet I have strong views about these things which some would find very confrontational. At the end of the day, I know from previous conversations that my vaccinating friends know very little about vaccines, they have chosen to trust the health authorities and would prefer not to ask the hard questions. That's fine - their choice. I have never broached the topic with them. Although sometimes I wonder if I have an ethical duty to inform them of the issues I know their doctor won't tell them...
On the other hand, I know how much time my non-vaccinated friends have invested in researching vaccines, and their passion for health and natural medicine which I share. My non-vaccinating friends are more than three times likely to breastfeed their children (usually to 12 months and beyond), to feed their children organic, unprocessed food, and use chemical-free, eco friendly personal care products on their children. They have made it their business to know exactly what is in each vaccine and what the potential and accumulative effects of each ingredient are. I'm not saying that this sums up all vaccinating or unvaccinating parents out there -but it does accurately depict my personal experience. So it can be really horrible and disheartening when you get someone giving you dirty looks and judgement-based comments which you know are fear-driven. Lol Sometimes it's probably best to say nothing if you don't feel you can say what you wish to in a calm respectful manner, and just offer to send them some information instead. Some people will no doubt read all the information and still choose to vaccinate, and that's fine - so long as they don't judge or berate you for your decision.
Last edited by JellyBean; April 1st, 2011 at 02:15 PM.
Mmm - tough one.
Sometimes it's probably best to say nothing if you don't feel you can say what you wish to in a calm respectful manner, and just offer to send them some information instead. Some people will no doubt read all the information and still choose to vaccinate, and that's fine - so long as they don't judge or berate you for your decision.
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