Wednesday, October 20, 2010

My take on the vaccine issue

This is my first controversial post.  The opinions expressed are my own.

In the last few years, there has been a media firestorm over the issue of if vaccinations can cause a child to develop autism.  Most are blaming it on mercury, a preservative used in the vaccines.  But mercury was removed from these vaccines years ago and the instances of autism are still on the rise.

I am insulted by the idea that my AS was caused by a vaccine and appalled by paranoid parents who don't vaccinate their children.  AS is a chunk of my personality and some traits of it are found throughout my family.  It's insulting to tell me that who I am is just a medical mishap.

It is not only irresponsible but abusive for a parent to not vaccinate a child.  Vaccines are so important to keep diseases which crippled and killed children for ages from resurging and causing damage far worse than autism ever could.  A parent who refuses to vaccinate is not only putting their child in danger, they're endangering every other child that their kid comes in contact with.

Not only is it irresponsible to the child, it represents a terrible mental state for a parent to have - believing that they are entirely blameless for anything that happens.  It's much easier to blame your child being ill on something remote and dictated by society than it is to acknowledge that your own genetics may have contributed to it.  Parents who can't accept their faults shouldn't be parents at all.

I am leading a full and productive life with autism.  A person dead from polio couldn't say the same.

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