Neither of my sons were vaccinated throughout their elementary and high school years (we homeschooled some of those years, but not all, so we had dealt with government schools and the pretense that vaccinations are "mandatory").
At the time, my husband and I simply signed a form that indicated our decision to not have our sons vaccinated was religious based.
College was a bit more difficult ... the university (state funded) “insisted” my sons get their MMR vaccinations. Both boys were over 18 at the time, so they were legally and personally able/responsible to make their own choice on the matter (tho I strongly suggested they reject the idea of vaccinations).
My oldest son’s exposure to the vaccine went without incident. My youngest son’s story was quite different (and confirmed my fears about vaccines in general). He become VERY ill - extremely high fever, the worst headaches he had ever experienced, nausea, etc... A trip to the ER followed by several doctors visits confirmed his exposure to the vaccine played a significant part in triggering a virus that had possibly been laying dormant in his system (or introduce it?) and he was diagnosed with mononucleosis - a similar strain of virus as measles, meningitis, etc. He missed 2 weeks of classes and took several months to really get back on his feet (btw, he still suffers from viral infections more frequently than the average person).
Later, the university, in its infinite wisdom, decided that despite my son’s initial serious reaction to the first round of the MMR vaccine, he needed to follow up with a second round which was "required" of all students. We were able (at first) to get a medical exemption as mononucleosis had been confirmed via my son’s blood work and our doctor felt comfortable writing a letter stating that “at this time vaccinations were contraindicated”.
The school left no stone un-turned, however, and picked up on the “at this time”. They kept pushing for our doctor to give exact dates as to when he could/could not receive the vaccination, so we began to look for other solutions - and went back to the religious exemption idea. However, we were told that to claim a religious exemption - to satisfy the state - my son had to verify that he was attending a church where such a belief was in fact part of the church's practice/doctrine. He was not, so that option was unavailable to us.
Since we were convinced that another round of the MMR vaccination would seriously affect my son’s health AGAIN - there was no choice but to keep looking for ways to successfully opt out. After researching the subject via the internet, I discovered that a “PERSONAL religious exemption” was different than a religious exemption ... and so my son took that route, writing the following letter to the university:
"After much thought, reflection and meditation, my personal religious beliefs prohibit the injection of foreign substances into my body. Therefore, owing to the Knowledge that The Higher Power which created us all, rejects this same notion of foreign substances entering into the body, I object to the following vaccinations, including but not limited to, DTaP\DTP, HepB, Hib, MMR, Polio, Varicella, and MCV4. Therefore I am filing this personal religious exemption in accordance with: TITLE 77: PUBLIC HEALTH CHAPTER I: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SUBCHAPTER k: COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL AND IMMUNIZATIONS PART 694 COLLEGE IMMUNIZATION CODE SECTION 694.210 RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION”
The university finally backed off.
For more info on vaccinations visit: http://www.vaccineawareness.org/aboutIVAC.htm and http://www.thenhf.com/vaccinations.html
Jan Stover, The Libertarian Mom
At the time, my husband and I simply signed a form that indicated our decision to not have our sons vaccinated was religious based.
College was a bit more difficult ... the university (state funded) “insisted” my sons get their MMR vaccinations. Both boys were over 18 at the time, so they were legally and personally able/responsible to make their own choice on the matter (tho I strongly suggested they reject the idea of vaccinations).
My oldest son’s exposure to the vaccine went without incident. My youngest son’s story was quite different (and confirmed my fears about vaccines in general). He become VERY ill - extremely high fever, the worst headaches he had ever experienced, nausea, etc... A trip to the ER followed by several doctors visits confirmed his exposure to the vaccine played a significant part in triggering a virus that had possibly been laying dormant in his system (or introduce it?) and he was diagnosed with mononucleosis - a similar strain of virus as measles, meningitis, etc. He missed 2 weeks of classes and took several months to really get back on his feet (btw, he still suffers from viral infections more frequently than the average person).
Later, the university, in its infinite wisdom, decided that despite my son’s initial serious reaction to the first round of the MMR vaccine, he needed to follow up with a second round which was "required" of all students. We were able (at first) to get a medical exemption as mononucleosis had been confirmed via my son’s blood work and our doctor felt comfortable writing a letter stating that “at this time vaccinations were contraindicated”.
The school left no stone un-turned, however, and picked up on the “at this time”. They kept pushing for our doctor to give exact dates as to when he could/could not receive the vaccination, so we began to look for other solutions - and went back to the religious exemption idea. However, we were told that to claim a religious exemption - to satisfy the state - my son had to verify that he was attending a church where such a belief was in fact part of the church's practice/doctrine. He was not, so that option was unavailable to us.
Since we were convinced that another round of the MMR vaccination would seriously affect my son’s health AGAIN - there was no choice but to keep looking for ways to successfully opt out. After researching the subject via the internet, I discovered that a “PERSONAL religious exemption” was different than a religious exemption ... and so my son took that route, writing the following letter to the university:
"After much thought, reflection and meditation, my personal religious beliefs prohibit the injection of foreign substances into my body. Therefore, owing to the Knowledge that The Higher Power which created us all, rejects this same notion of foreign substances entering into the body, I object to the following vaccinations, including but not limited to, DTaP\DTP, HepB, Hib, MMR, Polio, Varicella, and MCV4. Therefore I am filing this personal religious exemption in accordance with: TITLE 77: PUBLIC HEALTH CHAPTER I: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SUBCHAPTER k: COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL AND IMMUNIZATIONS PART 694 COLLEGE IMMUNIZATION CODE SECTION 694.210 RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION”
The university finally backed off.
For more info on vaccinations visit: http://www.vaccineawareness.org/aboutIVAC.htm and http://www.thenhf.com/vaccinations.html
Jan Stover, The Libertarian Mom
Part of being a libertarian is embracing personal choices and the consequences of those choice. I researched heavily, asked questions, and thought long and hard about this issue, and in the end chose to vaccinate both my children without fear.
ReplyDeleteYou're spot on regarding personal choice (and consequences of our choices) Susan ... which is why I recognized my sons' rights when it came to making their own decision regarding vaccinations in college. I voiced my concerns, but ultimately they each chose a different option than I wanted for them.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the real story behind the story here has more to do with questioning authority, rather than being opposed to or in favor of vaccinations. At every turn, school "authorities" insisted vaccinations were required for attendance and the simple truth of the matter is they were not.
Questioning authority is also a useful trait we Libertarians are known to embrace, eh? :-)