IPrice Stephanie Price English 112 Professor Connie Douglas 29 October 2014 Round Table Assignment The Maton of people who are vaccinated is higher than it has ever been, no longer do parents fear that their child will contract diseases like polio and diphtheria. When you receive a vacinejon are actually receiving a weakened or dead form of the virus that will cause your body to react by making antibodies that are protective and fight off the germs that have entered your body. So in other words you are exposed to the disease, but don’t actually get sick, so that, your body can leam how to defend itself in case it is ever confronted with the real thing. ‘There are many controversies surrounding the topic of immunizations, including how ‘many vaccines are being given, which vaccines are being given, what are the side $ffects, and possibly the most controversial, who is has the right tobe exeinpt from vaccines. Many people | / ot hin ge hersel® rc are saying it should be harder for someone to claim exemption for themselves or fort wi those people are saying it should not be possible to be claimed exempt due to personal beliefs and that the only people who should be aloud to be exempt are people with medical conditions, in order to maintain a high vaceinated population rate” The opposition says that it violates our freedoms to be forced to be injected with something if we do not want to be. There are three main voices that are talking avout sue and those ae: Ke parents of children who are getting vaccinated, the government, and the pharmaceutical companies. ‘The first voice ig the most obvious: the person who is getting the vaccine or the parents or het ‘that represent! . they $re“the onef that should have the most input when it comes to what pe whe idx 2Price hes be goes in thet bodies. With so many stories of vaccinations gone wrong parents are getting mixed information about vaccines, this could cause parents to be afraid of the side effects of vaccines and want to file for exemption from vaccines. Another reason parents might be‘file for exemption under the claim of personal belief is because they get behind on their child’s scheduled vaccines and decide it is casier to claim exemption than to get their child caught up. ‘There are some people who just think it should be completely up to them as to whether or not they choose to get vaccinated or not. As Joseph Mercola said in his article supporting the right to be exempt from vaccines “All Americans need to know their options for legally opting-out of vaccinations, and you also need to know why it's so important to protect this legal option, whether you choose to use every federally recommended vaccine for yourself and your children. ‘nated have the most influence or not.” (Mercola). Over he parents ox the person being va it when it comes to what they are being injected, ‘The second voice that is talking about this topic of vaceines is the government. It is important tothe govemment that the population of vaccinated is high beeause they need 10 protect those who can not be vaccinated, re the ones that regulate who can and cannot claim exemption from vaccinations. The government uses their power to make and regulate laws relating to immunizations. Theres a government website where people have access to information about vaccinations. ic) ‘also éreated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The (CDC) is a federal agency that conduets and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness activit in the United States with the goal of improving overall public health. (The¥ strongly believe that it is important to our society for everybody possible to be vaceinated who can be, as they said in an article they posted supporting protecting making vaccines mandatory with few exemptions; “Even a small number of unimmunized individuals in3Price a community can facilitate the spread of disease” (Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society). The government is extremely influential in deciding who can and cannot be exempt from vaccines. ‘The third voice involved in the discussion about vaccines is the drug makers. The major pharmaceutical companies are the ones that make the vacines. Theyof course rant people to get vaccinated because that means they will make more money, Also the drug companies and the government sometimes make agreements that some people find to be unfair to those who are fighting (o protect vaccine exemptions. Joseph Mercola, an advocate for the protection of exemptions argued that “Unfortunately, the partnership between government health agencies and vaccine manufacturers is getting closer and closer. There is some serious discrimination against Americans, who want to be free to exercise their human right to informed consent to medical risk-taking when it comes to inaking voluntary decisions about which vaccines they and their children use, We cannot allow that happen!” (Mercola) The pharmaceutical companies are already swimming in money which means they already have power to sway decisions one way or c other when it comes to laws about vacinationsy peeause forthe most part money equals power. These companies need to put aside their greed for money and make sure they are coming out with a product that is safe for the publi All three of the voices that are involved in the topic of vaccines, and who has to get them, are strong voices that can definitely be highly opinionated, It is important that parents and others who are getting vaccinated get all the information about vaccines instead of just listening to the stories that are being spread around social media. The drug companies need to put their obsession with money aside and make sure they are offering the best possible vaccines to the public. The government needs to be the responsible leader in this circumstance, and make sure that the information is being properly provided to the public about the pros of getting vaccinated4Price and even make sure they are clear about the possible side effects. The government has the most power to make sure that the public is getting their proper immunizations, and the people are not claiming exempt just because they ean,SPrice Works cited Koch, Kathy. "Vaccine Controversies." CQ Researcher 25 Aug. 2000: 641-72. Web. 6 Oct. 2014 Mercola, Joseph. "Vaccine Exemptions Must Be Protected." Should Vaccinations be Mandatory? Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Latest Sneak Attacks in a Coordinated Effort to Eliminate Vaccine Exemptions.” mercola.com. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Oct. 2014 Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. "Mandatory Vaccinations with Few Exceptions Are Necessary for Public Health." Vaccines. Ed. Noél Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "A Statement Regarding Personal Belief Exemption from Immunization Mandates." 2011. 1-5. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Oct. 2014,