Personal beliefs and vaccination

100%atheist · Post by **100%atheist** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:41 pm

I am curious to learn where both religious and areligous people stand on the idea that government can force vaccines on citizens against their personal beliefs.

Divine Insight · Post by **Divine Insight** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:59 pm

Speaking from a secular point of view (not to suggest that I am a secularist), I have mixed feelings about it.

On the one hand it seems reasonable to a degree. However, since vaccines cannot be guaranteed to be 100% safe and without serious side effects to every possible person there seems like there should be freedom to reject it if a person chooses to do so.

Speaking from a religious point of view (not to suggest that I'm religious), the fact that God created unholy diseases that attack, cripple, and sometime kill innocent people it does stand to reason that the government should be protecting us from our devious predator creator.

After all, part of the job of our government is to protect us from our enemies.

bluethread · Post by **bluethread** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:35 pm

Though some people will always take an opportunity to beat people over the head with their views regarding theology, this is more of a libertarian issue. That stated, in these United States, no one is required to get vaccinated. However, if one does not vaccinate themselves or their children and they catch and spread the disease, the adult can be prosecuted under the "Typhoid Mary" laws.

DanieltheDragon · Post by **DanieltheDragon** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 1:07 pm

I can only control what happens within me and my family. I have my son vaccinated I am vaccinated and my wife is vaccinated. I can't control the people who have fallen prey to the anti-vax movement. I feel sorry for the children of these ignorant people who are negligently being abused by their ignorant parents.

For crying out loud we have a measles outbreak MEASLES?!?!?!?!!?!?! What's next Polio a disease that has been eradicated in the states? No we can't legislate against stupidity, however we can educate people and help teach critical thinking skills necessary not to fall victim to such insane conspiracy theories that have been so thoroughly debunked.

Can we legislate people to force them to take vaccines? I don't think we can but as Bluethread said Typhoidmary type persecutions shouldn't be put out of the equation. I

SailingCyclops · Post by **SailingCyclops** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 12:26 pm

DanieltheDragon wrote: Can we legislate people to force them to take vaccines? I don't think we can but as Bluethread said Typhoidmary type persecutions shouldn't be put out of the equation. I

No legislation necessary. My belief is that we should let natural selection take care of the crazies. People who refuse to believe in scientific facts, and contract a deadly communicable disease as a result, should be allowed to die and not propagate their genes.

DanieltheDragon · Post by **DanieltheDragon** » Sun Feb 08, 2015 4:58 pm

[Replying to post 5 by SailingCyclops]

Well there is still the problem of herd immunity. There are certain groups of people that are targeting for vaccinations, like school kids the elderly etc. Not everyone get's a vaccine because we target groups that are more likely to be in contact with other people such as school kids. Like the flu vaccine for example generally supplies are limited so we target the elderly and kids those whom are most likely to suffer adverse symptoms to the flu virus. Young adults are least likely to have access to the flu vaccine when supplies are short. Instead we really on the heard immunity of certain groups within our society that are most likely to come into contact or spread the virus immunized. This prevents the spread of the disease even though not everyone is vaccinated.

So when parents don't vaccinate their kids they are helping to break this chain of herd immunity. Which effects other people besides the parents and their kids. They are jacking up the whole system.