Should children be vaccinated? Are home births a good idea?

[Tamara-B]

Today my co-worker was gearing up to tell myself and another co-worker about why her cousin kept the birthing of her baby a secret. I was intrigued, considering I'd want all my family present if I have a child someday. My co-worker told us her cousin admitted she had a home birth and refused to give birth in a hospital because she didn't want to be pressured into getting her baby vaccinated. She also didn't want her family to know about her decision.

I asked why her cousin wouldn't want it and she told us the cousin said she didn't want her daughter to get autism. My co-worker said she was offended by the comment considering her little brother had autism.

I was completely confused, because I'm pretty sure everyone I know has been vaccinated and they don't have autism. As we discussed this furthermore, I chuckled at the thought of what my Mother would say. She'd most likely flip out. If there's one thing she can't stand, it is parents who put their kids' safety and health at risk.

She asked my opinion and I simply said she should get her child vaccinated and she'll most likely change her mind. If she felt she would have been pressured by the hospital, then clearly she's not so 100% sure about her decision. That's why I was confident she'll probably rethink it.

Reportedly, the rate for vaccinated children is over 90 percent. However, my co-worker told me there is a "large part of the population who also thinks this way"

She also told me a child from Switzerland, who wasn't vaccinated, got terribly sick at school and the parents ended up suing the school, but they lost.

Another case involved another set of parents who sued a catholic school for denying their unvaccinated child admission.

Interested, I surfed the web. I already knew some parents refused to vaccinate their child due to religious purposes, but what else? To my surprise, there is an actual belief, not fact, out there that vaccines can cause autism. Other reasons included parents not comfortable with injecting their children with "germs" and vaccine doesn't guarantee full immunity.

After our vaccine conversation, we began discussing home births. My co-worker, who works at a health clinic, expressed horror at home births. I reminded her that home births was the norm way back when. In return, she pointed out the low mortality rate several years ago when home births were done.

"Anyone can be a midwife! Tamara, you could become a midwife after only three weeks of training for it," she said.

"No, thanks, " I replied.

For a minute, I felt like she was insulting mid wives, because there are many midwives who are serious about their position and very skilled.

My co-workers thought home births and unvaccinated children were done by hippies and "crazy liberals"

Should parents vaccinate their kids and are home births bad?

What do you think?

[BridgeTroll]

Parents who do not vaccinate their children are putting their health at risk.  More importantly... they are putting the health of other children at risk.  Unvaccinated children should not be allowed to step foot in public schools.

As for home birthing... Women have been doing that long before hospitals were invented.  They are however taking added risk from complications.

[riverside planner]

While I am supportive of having choices with regard to giving birth, those seeking a homebirth should be well aware of the risks.  I consider myself a cautionary tale.  I had a number of unforeseen complications with my daughter's birth that neither of us would have likely survived had I not been in a hospital.  On the vaccination front, just watch the Frontline episode on this issue.  Seeing a baby too young to be vaccinated struggling with whooping cough that was acquired because someone else chose not to vaccinate is enough to convince most people on the importance of vaccination.  Science saves lives people.

Oh, and some would accuse me of being a "crazy liberal"

[Adam W]

The link between vaccination and autism has been completely debunked. If you're curious at all, read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. He devotes a fairly significant portion of the book to explaining all of the flaws in the research methodology of those who claimed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. He also does a nice job explaining why homeopathy is completely bogus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29

[Tacachale]

The anti-vaccine tip is a bunch of dangerous hoodoo bullshit; unfortunately it has become popular in Hollywood and alternative medicine circles, giving it a platform to infect others far and wide who don't have the tools to consider the issue critically. Its spread is an interesting metaphor for why vaccines are important, really. It is important that people are educated so they can be better inoculated against stupid ideas like this.

[KenFSU]

If Jenny McCarthy says it, it must be true...

[Adam W]

Its spread is an interesting metaphor for why vaccines are important, really. It is important that people are educated so they can be better inoculated against stupid ideas like this.

That's amazing. +1000000