Luke Bynum

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102-004
16 Feb. 2016
Self Assessment:
I believe that I did well on the first draft. I believe that there are just a couple
grammatical errors that need repair. Also I need to change the tone of my argument, to
be able to address those who have opposing opinions.

Reflection
I believe that the proposal developed below provides a clear pathway that I will
follow to answer my inquiry question. Of course, in producing the actual inquiry project,
more research on my part will be required, as well as a stronger organization of the
differing ideas and sides of the arguments used to evaluate my question. Also, the idea
of composing a nearly 10 page paper is challenging, but I honestly believe that there is
more than enough information available to form the paper. In forming that final paper, or
the first draft of it, I plan to change my writing style slightly. I think that being a little more
formal in subsequent aspects of this project will allow me to build my argument more
dependent on facts and research, rather than the largely opinion based approach used
in this proposal.

Inquiry Proposal: Legitimacy of Anti-Vaccine Movements

While it was quite difficult to decide on a topic that is interesting and able to be
deeply researched, I finally concluded that my personal interests would lead me to
something related to medicine, more specifically vaccines. After deciding to research
vaccines I had to form a specific question to ask. I finally developed the following
question: do people have legitimate reasons for opposing vaccines? My initial answer to
this question is of course not. I acknowledge the facts that vaccines are certainly
helpful, and rarely harmful, but I frequently find myself in arguments with individuals who
hold one of many opposing opinions: vaccines are too risky, the flu shot will give me
the flu, or the side effects are not worth the benefits. I personally have had all
recommended vaccines via injection and have had no adverse reactions or
developmental issues, thus my current opinion and state of knowledge on the issue
causes me to believe that an overwhelming majority of vaccinated people share my
experiences. Though I feel this way, I hope to research the roots of anti-vaccine
movements, and better understand the evidence on both sides of the debate.
Vaccines have been used since the late 1700s and opposition has likely
occurred since that time. Despite the defeat of illnesses, such as smallpox and polio,
the anti-vaccine mindset is still quite prevalent, especially in the last two decades.
Society has developed trends, dangerous ones in my opinion, of adopting positions
based on celebrities personal opinions and so called evidence. This point brings up
another question for me to answer: Why do people trust individuals that have no
medical training? One possible explanation is simply ignorance. Another, one that I
sometimes hear, is based on skepticism of government organizations such as the CDC.
I think that this sort of stubborn attitude some people hold is an unfounded way of

exerting resistance to the consensus of the medical community, which they do not
understand.
Another source of anti-vax attitudes in history comes from science (or what is
really pseudoscience). There have been some studies that make claims against
vaccines, some of the more popular ones being wholly disproved, that likely contribute
to persuading the public. Some of the more popular studies, the ones everyone knows
about, tried to link vaccines to autism. This is something that is interesting to me, having
a cousin that lives with autism, and also because I work with individuals that have
autism. However, I believe that the connection has been strongly enough disproved,
that it will not take up a large amount of my research.
The many sources of anti-vax culture prove that I have plenty routes to take, in
terms of examining the development of such attitudes. In fact, when trying to find
answers to my question by googling anti-vaccination movements or proof for
vaccination efficacy, there is quite a lot of information out there. Some of the more
useful information comes from academic articles and prestige medical organizations
and universities, which is where most of my knowledge of the subject, and ultimately my
interest, has developed from.
Lastly, the significance of my inquiry is great, in my opinion, due to the
widespread controversy about vaccines. People think that the flu shot contains live
forms of the virus, but it doesnt. People think that the organomercury compound,
Thiomersal, is the same thing as pure mercury, but it is not. And some people even
think that they or their children will derive autism from an immunization, but that
obviously is not going to happen either. While it seems that my opinion is pretty solid, I

hope to gain more knowledge of the topic and question I've developed. The main goal of
my research will not be to decide whether or not vaccines are safe and effective, but
rather discover the foundations of anti-vaccination movements and find what sound
science exists in the favor of such a movement.