No. Plain and simple.
I know this post is going to offend some people. I've tried to stay silent on this controversial issue. But staying silent on hot button topics is not something I am good at...
You know what? I used to think that shots could do only good, no harm. After all, they eradicated diseases that once ran rampant in America, right? Diseases that are killing people in order countries. And the guy who claimed that shots caused autism in some children admitted he falsified his information, right?
Well... I used to be like some of you. I posted on Facebook some article about "anti-vaccers" that I really thought was truth. But then I had a friend respond to my post that her teenage autistic daughter was a regular, "normal" child until she received her MMR shot at 18 months. She said that literally the next day she was a different person. She wouldn't look her in the eye, wouldn't laugh, etc... that really struck a cord with me because here is someone I know who personally saw this happen.
A year or so later, I had my son. I blindly got him the recommended shots for his first 4 months of life. I remember holding him as they poked 5 needles into his little legs and gave him one nasal immunization. I kept thinking "that seems like too much for his little body to handle at once." Then all of the sudden God put it on my heart to research this as much as I could as a parent (I'm not a scientist so I could not do actual research...)
I came across Dr. Bob Sears' website. I read pages and pages of information about the firsthand research he did on vaccinations in infants. You know what he found? That there are NO STUDIES on the amount of aluminum contained within all the shots currently recommended by the American Association of Pediatrics. He breaks it all down on his website, but basically he said that the research done on all these shots was way before the AAP kept adding shots to their recommended schedule.
UMMM HELLO? PARENTS? PEOPLE WHO CLAIM THEY ARE SO MUCH MORE INFORMED AND RESPONSIBLE AND THINK THEY ARE BETTER PARENTS? Did you read that? All those toxins and fillers you are pouring into your tiny humans haven't even been adequately researched.
So I thought to myself, "Self. What am I to do? I want my children to be protected. I want to do what's best for them. But I feel really torn about pumping this stuff info my babies." So I followed (somewhat) Dr. Sears' Alternative Vaccine Schedule. It immunizes baby over several months versus giving them 3+ shots at a time.
Anyway, as a Christian mommy, I seek the Lord's guidance on everything. And you know what? He has put it on my heart and mind since I started this Alternative Shot Schedule not to get Lincoln's MMR. And I've been so worried about what I "should" do that I've scheduled it, and cancelled it, multiple times. But you know what? I received a beautiful, out-of-the-blue email from a fellow mom that said she wished she had trusted her mommy intuition about not getting her son the MMR. Since then he has had terrible food allergy and asthma issues.
That same day, I found out a girl I went to high school with has a son with autism. Her son was also progressing, "normal", until he received his MMR shot at 18 months old. Now he has an array of issues that will haunt him and his loving parents for life. And if you look into this issue, there are so many parents who witnessed this in their children.
Another friend of mine had a daughter who had a terrible reaction. So much so that her parents prayerfully decided not to vaccinate their other children. Now her daughter has undiagnosed, random seizures and they can only think it was the shots. To all of the people I personally know that I mentioned, the risk of these diseases is far less than the risk of the shots.
Does that make them less responsible, less informed, and more ignorant than the parents that feel the risk of vaccinating is worth the risk of these diseases? NO.
I've had so many good, Christian friends post things that have really hurt me lately since the rise of measles cases. I even vaccinate, just according to what the Lord puts on heart and what my mom instinct tells me. But if you don't want your children around mine because Lincoln hasn't gotten his MMR and Charlie is on the delayed shot schedule, then that is YOUR loss.
You better stick to your guns and not step foot at Target, Walmart, Trader Joe's, your local park, the Dr's office, and Disneyland. Because I promise you that if your child is going to get measles, it will be from some public place where you have zero control over whose germs you come into contact with, not at my house.
And lastly... yes, measles, mumps and rubella have caused devastation in other countries. But you know what? This is America. Have any of the children who have gotten this died or been seriously injured? We have amazing health care in this country, a luxury other countries don't always have. So a case of the measles here DOES NOT equal a case of measles "there."
I'm a staunch conservative. I believe on personal freedoms. I feel that parents have the right to do what they believe in their hearts and minds is best for their children. I would give my life for Lincoln and Charlie without hesitation. And I guarantee the same for my unnamed friends who have contributed to this sentimental blog.
So in closing, think about what you say when you throw out blanket statements about parents who choose not to vaccinate. It might be a God-given instinct or because of what they have seen with their own eyes. This is America. We have the ability to make these decisions because of the blessed situation we are in. And I believe that we all want the same thing at the end of the day...whatever is the best, safest thing for our tiny humans.
