In 2015 I, Erica Pettinaro, went to school to become a Medical Assitant. There was a paper I had to write about "immunizations".
This is what I wrote!
"In recent years, the media has brought forth the attention of parents who refuse vaccines. Many times coining parents who refuse vaccines and their children who aren’t vaccinated for the “comeback” of “vaccine-preventable diseases”. But, looking back further, to when vaccines were first recommended for public use, there have always been people who are opposed to vaccines.
In the early 1800s, the smallpox vaccine began to be used in England after Edward Jenner’s cowpox experiments. Opposition began shortly after Jenner’s experiments and again when the Vaccination Act of 1853, making vaccines mandatory for infants up to three months, and the Act of 1867, which extended the age requirement to 14 years of age and included penalties for refusal to vaccinate. It was after these mandatory vaccination acts when the Anti-Vaccination League and the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League was formed.
In March of 1885, one of the most notorious vaccine opposition protests were held after three people were imprisoned instead of having their children vaccinated. This, along with many more protests, are what led to the removal of vaccination refusal penalties creating the Act of 1898 and instead of adding a “conscientious objector” clause so those who do oppose vaccines may obtain exemptions.
In the United States, the Anti-Vaccination Society of America was created in the 19th century following the smallpox vaccine campaigns that began after smallpox outbreaks. IN 1902, after a smallpox outbreak in Massachusetts, all city residents were mandated to be vaccinated against smallpox. One resident refused, he was jailed and criminally charged. His case went to the Supreme Court, ruling in the State of Massachusetts favor; the state could enact compulsory laws to protect the public health. This was the first Supreme Court case concerning state powers over public health. This led to numerous court cases to try and remove vaccine laws in several other states.
In the mid-1970s, there was controversy over the safety of DTP vaccines, after reports of children suffering reactions after administration of DTP vaccines. In the UK, a report from the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London stated that 36 children had suffered neurological damage after receiving DTP vaccines. The U.S. controversy began with the media, when a documentary called “DTP: Vaccination Roulette”, which described the adverse reactions with DTP, was released in 1982.
After concerns with DTP came concerns over the MMR vaccine after a British doctor found an association between the MMR vaccine, bowel disease, and Autism. This caused one of the biggest debates about Autism and the MMR vaccine. Along with the concerns of Autism, mercury-containing vaccines have also been the heat of the debate. Because of this concern, the campaign “Green Our Vaccines” was led to try to get vaccine manufacturers to remove toxins from vaccines.
In more recent years, following the Disneyland measles “outbreak”, more attention has been brought to those who oppose vaccines. Some have blamed parents who don’t vaccinate their kids for the measles outbreak in California. This led to the Senate Bill, which was just passed on June 20, 205, and goes into effect July 1, 2016, mandating vaccines for school-aged children. SB277 removes both philosophical and religious exemptions to vaccines. California is one f three states that have removed such exemptions.
Because of these types of laws being introduced and passed, this has led to more parents, like me, to speak out about why they don’t vaccinate. Many are opposed because of the ingredients used in vaccines; many are opposed to the use of aborted fetal cells and tissue in the making of vaccines, some parents are against the new schedules; so they delay or space out vaccines instead. Other parents reveal the dark truth about the dangers of vaccines and how one-shot does not fit all and how vaccine injury and death aren’t as rare as we thought.
Meg, from Northern Ohio, wrote “I had no clue about vaccines before having children. Our two-year-old had HepB at birth and all two-month shots, had a horrible repertory illness afterward, but I didn’t relate the two. I went back to work (RN) when she was three months and I was asked if I would be getting a flu shot by my manager before even my first day back. My first thought was “is this safe while breastfeeding?” so I looked at the package insert and it clearly said it had never been studied on pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and these populations should exercise caution in getting the vaccine. That was a huge red flag for me and it led to many more hours of research since then.
She continues, “At first we were unsure of not vaccinating at all, so we decided to go with the 1980 schedule. We let our daughter get one shot at her four-month checkup (TDaP) and another awful respiratory illness followed. At her six month checkup, she got a polio vaccine, but after that, I had researched enough to stop vaccinating completely. Ur daughter is super healthy since stopping vaccinations. I don’t believe God created us with a deficient immune system, I don’t support the use of human fetal tissue (DNA) in vaccines and there are neurotoxins and carcinogens in every vaccine.”
Lucy, from Southern Ohio, explains “When my fourth child had Autism, I thought it was something in the family. I never knew to even question vaccines. Then he had a flu shot, ran a high fever, started having seizures, an ambulance came and said he was going into cardiac arrest. At the same time, in a different town, my mother-in-law was being hospitalized due to complications from her flu shot. They both made it through, but that is what prompted my research.”
Becca from Kentucky, “The first thing that made me question vaccines was my, now 16-year-old, son's near-fatal reaction to DTP and MMR. He was almost three when he received both shots at his pediatrician’s a few days prior to his reaction. He spent three weeks in PICU with brain swelling, absence seizures, and a severe localized reaction. After researching, I also discovered his other issues were also adverse effects of vaccines.”
She explains, “Sensory integration dysfunction, colic, crying out of pain, high pitched non-stop crying for days following vaccines; but all of which were called something else and never related to vaccines by the doctors. We continued vaccinating after his PICU stay, only eliminating DTP, which is the only vaccine the doctors said he was “allergic” to. He has a medical exemption for the DTP, specifically the “P”.” She delayed vaccines for her next two children, but after them still being sick and doing more research, she stopped vaccinating. Two out of 5 of her children are vaccine free and no longer vaccinates the older three.
Amanda, from California, says “I questioned vaccines when I was a kid. My mom said I never trusted what they were putting in my body and I didn’t trust doctors. I always thought I wouldn’t vaccinate, but I didn’t start looking into it until I was a nanny and the kids I nanny got sick every time they were vaccinated and I noticed they were getting so many more.”
She explains, “When I became pregnant, I researched and read everything I could get my hands on. I read every vaccine insert, researched each ingredient and how much of each ingredient each vaccine had, and then added it all up. Turns out, almost all of the ingredients are toxic. I read up on shedding and who the immunocompromised shouldn’t be around recently vaccinated people. Then I read up on when all of the diseases these vaccines “protect” against were declining. Turns out, most of these diseases were on their way out before vaccines were introduced. I read about each disease and how they can affect the body, most of these diseases aren’t even close to being dealt with, in our country, the proper treatment, and some, like measles and chickenpox, don’t need any treatment at all. Seemed silly to put toxins into my kid's body to do nothing to protect him and only weaken his immune system."
Stephanie, from Australia, shares her story at www.naturematters.info about why she no longer vaccinates. After her son’s four-month routine vaccinations, he started to react. Doctors diagnosed him with allergies to wheat and later said it could be a possible condition called Alexander’s disease and that he only had a few more months to live. After his passing and having more children, Stephanie has kept them vaccine free.
I too, like other ladies in this paper, use to vaccinate but no longer continue to. When my first child was born, I didn’t even know I had a choice to vaccinate or not. I thought I was something everyone did, the doctors and nurses said he needed them and I trusted them. My son was vaccinated at birth with HepB, and then again at two, four, and six months according to the recommended schedule at the time (2011/2012). After his two month shots, I noticed he had a slight cough, congestion, and a runny/stuffy nose. I brought it up to his doctor, but he was too young for any medications.
I continued vaccinating, thinking nothing of possible reactions, and he continued to be sick. The doctors were clueless and of no help, so I started to reach out to other moms. A friend was who brought vaccine reactions to my attention and suggested I read the ingredients. So I went to the CDC website and read the ingredients for the vaccines he had received, and I didn’t like what I saw. I was told about aborted fetal tissue in vaccines but didn’t believe it until I read it right on the CDC website.
Reading the ingredients in vaccines was enough to make me decide to stop vaccinating. We were already reading labels on the food we ate, it just made sense to begin reading ingredients and such with everything else in our lives. Since reading the ingredients, I have also read about manufactures' package inserts, vaccine shedding and transmission of diseases and live vaccines, vaccines and related allergies, how diseases were eradicated, and when vaccines were recommended for us.
I’ve always been skeptical when using the medicine, my mother's drug addiction began after overuse of prescription painkillers and after researching and educating myself about pharmaceutical companies, how and who determines safety and efficiency, I realized they are all intertwined. Our healthcare system has become a revolving door of sick care, or a symptom care system. Rather than taking care of why we are sick, we mask our symptoms causing more issues, more virus mutations, and drug-resistant viruses and bacteria.
Most of the diseases and illnesses we vaccinate for are easily treatable and some need no treatment at all. Yes, they can be deadly or debilitating, but when proper care is taken of the body and immune system, the body can benefit from illness. In my opinion, I see why there are vaccines, their benefits, and why people vaccinate, but when these vaccines are injuring and even killing children and adults, it’s time we rethink how we are trying to immunize ourselves.
Vaccine injury and death is all too real and not as rare as we are told to believe. According to the health impact news, the Department of Justice issued a report to the Advisory Commission of Childhood Vaccines on March 5, 2015, stating that within the time frame of 11/16/14 to 2/15/15, 117 cases for vaccine injuries and deaths were compensated. In October 1988, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to compensate those who are victims of vaccine injury or death while creating a no-fault system.
This no-fault system makes it where vaccine manufacturers cannot be sued due to injury or death from their vaccines. Instead, you go to Vaccine Injury court and if they find your case to be compensated, then you are awarded. Since the creation of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program 3.18 billion dollars have been awarded to vaccine injury and death victims.
So, even though in the more recent years there seem to be more opponents to vaccines, there have always been people who have opposed vaccines. Since vaccines were first introduced, to now, parents have opposed vaccines for their children. Only now, there are more resources for those who oppose to speak out about their story as to why they don’t vaccinate. Most of the time, a parent who doesn’t vaccinate is someone who has done countless hours of research and has read almost everything there is to know about vaccines. A lot of the reason a parent will start their research because their child either suffered a reaction or became ill after vaccinations. I believe if people can start to admit there are dangers to vaccinating; we could fix the issues with vaccines, use alternative prevention methods like vitamin c, and create a real Health Care system."
References:
Amanda, California
Becca, Kentucky
http://www.healthimpactnews.com/2015/march-2015-settlements-in-vaccine-curt-117-vaccine-injuries-and-deaths/
http://www.histryofvaccines.org/content/articles/history-anti-vaccination-movements
http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/index.html
Lucy, Southern Ohio
Meg, Northern Ohio
Stephanie, Australia
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