Anti-Vaccine Fanatics Kill

[truth_seeker]

Anti-Vaccine Fanatics Kill

http://townhall.com/columnists/benshapiro/2015/02/04/antivaccine-fanatics-kill-n1952352?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=

Ben Shapiro | Feb 04, 2015

This week, controversy broke out over whether state governments have the power to require parents to have their children vaccinated. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, no stranger to compelling his citizens to stay off the roads during blizzards, announced that he had some sympathy for the anti-vaccination position: "I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that's the balance the government has to decide." Kentucky Senator Rand Paul doubled down on Christie's remarks, stating, "I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental orders after vaccines. ...The state doesn't own your children."

Christie and Paul aren't the only politicians sympathizing with anti-vaccination fanatics; in 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama repeated widely debunked claims of links between autism and vaccination. Skepticism of vaccination crosses party lines, unfortunately -- although the most organized anti-vaccination resistance comes from the New Agey left in places like Santa Monica and Marin County, who worry more about infinitesimal amounts of formaldehyde in vaccines than about death by polio.

Unsurprisingly, older Americans believe that children should be vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps and whopping cough, by a 73 percent to 21 percent margin. Americans 18-29, by contrast, believe by a 43 percent to 42 percent plurality that government should not mandate such vaccinations.

That's because young people don't remember a time when such diseases claimed lives. They don't remember a time when the vast majority of Americans weren't vaccinated. Older people do. Many of them lost loved ones to polio and measles and mumps and rubella. In 1952, over 3,000 Americans died of polio and well over 21,000 were left with mild or severe paralysis. Thanks to Dr. Jonas Salk's vaccine, there have been zero cases of natural polio in the United States since 1979.

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[truth_seeker]

The broader questions surrounding vaccinations should cover polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria instead of merely measles.

The whacko parent who would avoid the vaccines for measles probably would do so as well for polio, etc.

Public schools should not admit children without records of shots. Private schools probably will not, either.

And doctor groups are refusing to take on patients, with refusenik whacko parents.

The refusenik whacko parents need to be isolated and ridiculed. They live in a society that is very relatively safe from these diseases, because smarter, more responsible people MADE IT SO BY VACCINATING.

[truth_seeker]

http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-feinstein-boxer-urge-california-to-restrict-vaccine-exemptions-20150204-story.html

Feinstein, Boxer urge California to reconsider vaccine exemptions

February 4, 2015, 2:08 PM|Reporting from Sacramento

California’s two U.S. senators on Wednesday called on state officials to reconsider California’s policy on allowing exemptions to childhood vaccinations.

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Gov. Brown has indicated he may approve such a state law

[truth_seeker]

http://theweek.com/articles/537492/rand-paul-chris-christies-big-whoops-gop-isnt-actually-antivax

Rand Paul and Chris Christie's big whoops: The GOP isn't actually anti-vax

How did anti-vaccination skepticism become the default, "safe" answer for likely Republican presidential candidates?

I think it's because these candidates — most prominently Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), — draw a link to the way their party deals with climate change. Having little reason to think about vaccinations in political terms before, they’re looking to last cycle's cyclone of denialism for help with the playbook. They shouldn't. The two issues are very, very different.

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[Luis Gonzalez]

The sight of people questioning the effectiveness of vaccines as reported cases of measles rises among the unvaccinated is simply mind boggling.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Unsurprisingly, older Americans believe that children should be vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps and whopping cough, by a 73 percent to 21 percent margin. Americans 18-29, by contrast, believe by a 43 percent to 42 percent plurality that government should not mandate such vaccinations.

That's because young people don't remember a time when such diseases claimed lives.

Money quote.

[truth_seeker]

"The sight of people questioning the effectiveness of vaccines as reported caes of measles rises among the unvaccinated is simply mind boggling."

Americans of all political stripes, had a President with polio for over 12 years. (no, at the time they didn't know he was virtually wheelchair bound, but they knew he had polio)

In the early 50s Americans knew the ravages of polio, so were very happy to send little Stevie and Sally to school, for vaccines.

The scientific breakthroughs, combined with parental common sense, earned us a nearly disease free environment.

It is from that hard earned starting point, the anti-vaccine fools can say ..... "disease-what disease? I don't see any disease"

But they can sure hear the TV entertainer say "vaccine will give your kids autism" and they fall for it.

Mostly liberal bimbo-heads from Santa Monica and Marin County. I guess Dr. Paul skipped the class on Public Health.