immunizations

Immunizations are a tricky business. They are, in many cases, useful and so I'm inclined to say that perhaps they ought to be compulsory. However, in the end my skepticism gets the best of me. I don't have enough confidence in the powers that be to put anyone, let alone a child, in the position of compulsory immunizations.

Yes, I believe that parents ought to take an active role in designing their children's immunizations schedule. But I also don't think that the onus should be put solely on parents at this stage in the game. Is the public given adequate and accessible information about vaccines?

Optimally, parents would have a trusted doctor to advise them, or at least to offer resources that would be useful. I have a friend who's pediatrician advised her that she would be putting her child at risk if she didn't give her a Hep B vaccine at 6 months. When she asked how the doctor thought she might be at risk for Hep B, the doctor retracted the urgency of his assessment.

Still, I don't think there's a clear answer here. I think that we often make decisions from a place of fear with regards to the health of our children. Yet, I also understand the gravity of this decision and I believe these are decisions that should be considered from a communal and universal perspective rather than personally.