Meep! I'm going to Pm you, I have some questions.
Edited- my private message won't go through. Oh well. I mostly wanted to ask how you moved past the fear and how you came to your decision.
Hi,
To be honest, I'm not entirely past the fear. Contrary to the beliefs of what people would call 'anti-vaxxers' (I'm not one, I entirely believe if vaccination is right for your family then that is absolutely what you should do, and I'd never try to change anybody's mind), I am not against vaccinations. I understand how they work. I believe they do work. I believe that, in principle, they are a good idea and a clever idea and they save many lives.
However, there is no denying that there are children out there, and older people too (teenage girls receiving Gardasil, for example, to protect against HPV) who have been damaged irrevocably and in some cases even killed after receiving a vaccine. There are plenty of cases out there, if you look, in which a child's injury/subsequent disability and/or death has been ruled to be a direct result of a vaccine that the child received. A lot of money is set aside each year by the companies supplying vaccines for this reason, as compensation is obviously paid to victims and families where these side effects occur and are proven to be the result of a vaccine.
Of course, this is not the case for the vast majority of children. Most have absolutely no reaction at all and grow up perfectly healthy. There are always risks, whatever you choose to do in life. I do not believe that vaccines are a conspiracy method to hurt and kill and maim us. I do not believe that vaccines contribute to general ill health to keep us needing medicines and treatments and paying money to keep on top of our various ailments. I do not believe that vaccines are full of dangerous levels of toxic ingredients that lie dormant in the body and gradually break us down so we die of cancer or Alzheimer's later in life. I do not believe that vaccines directly cause autism. There are plenty of unvaccinated children out there with autism and plenty of vaccinated children who have no difficulties whatsoever.
For me, and this may sound stupid and possibly harsh, it was a case of feeling like I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I agreed to a vaccine which then changed or killed my child. That is all. I didn't want to be the one who did it. I can't stop my children from catching a disease. Nobody can stop their children from catching a disease - even a vaccinated child can potentially contract and die from one of the diseases they have been immunised against. It's just far less likely.
So that's all. No conspiracy bullshit, no activism. I don't care what other people do with their children, but these are mine, and while there is still a choice, this feels like the most organic and honest one for me.
Am I happy with my decision? Not entirely. Do I worry that they might get a potentially deadly disease? Yes, I do.
If you want to look into it further, the documentary 'Vaxxed' makes interesting viewing, as you can hear from some families to whom vaccine injury has happened. If you were just curious about my views, then, well, these are them lol and I've been happy to give them.
Would just like to say in closing that I am in no way trying to change anybody's mind, antagonise anybody or start a debate. I realise that my views will not match probably anybody else's but would appreciate it if my opinion and choice could be respected as I respect the opinions and choices of you all.
