A Father’s Personal Struggle with the Vaccine Debate

Across these United States, a fierce vaccination debate has started to flare up, and straw-man arguments are being paraded around as the truth. Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey said he’s for a balanced approach, in which parents have some measure of choice. Unfortunately, that’s not how things are actually done in New Jersey.
The reality is that New Jersey parents have no real choice. You have to get your child vaccinated unless you can provide a certified letter from your doctor saying that a vaccine will make the child sick, or if you can prove that it is against your religion.
Governor Christie’s comment about a ‘measure of choice’ reveals the self-importance these politicians give to themselves. Parents living in the Christie regime don’t get full choice, but he is willing to grant them some measure of choice. Perhaps the citizenry’s ability to voice its perspective would suffice for the Governor, as long as they understand that he and his bureaucrat comrades have the final say.
Senator Rand Paul defined his position clearly, saying all parents should have the right to choose. He then went on to bring up why some parents have reservations about heavily vaccinating their young children, describing stories that he’s heard where perfectly healthy children get sick after an immunization shot. In response, the mainstream media made it its mission to brand his commentary on why others may have reservations, into Rand Paul advocating against vaccinations. In fact, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean went so far as to say it should disqualify Rand from running for president.

This post was published at Liberty Blitzkrieg on Feb 11, 2015.