I am so angry with how non vaccinating parents were portrayed in this episode, as crazy and ruthlessly endangering other children's lives. I have never done this before, but I wrote and extensive letter to NBC, and I would ask if my fellow non-vaxxing moms would please do the same. I know it is just a TV show, but now all the people watching the show will have it in the back of their heads that not vaccination is irresponsible and endangers others. The fact that they pointed out there is no law about vaccinating preschool age children, yet they were prosecuting a non-vaxxing mother for the death of another child who caught the measles, is beyond ludicrous! I am posting my letter below, let me know if you think I made my point clearly enough, and if you could also write a letter as well, maybe this will get NBC thinking a little more clearly about being less one-sided on any controversial issues they choose to portray.
ps- I apologize for my spelling/grammatical oversights, it's late and I'm pretty tired!
Dear NBC-
I am extremely unhappy with the content of tonight's episode. I felt you portrayed those of us who choose not to vaccinate in a very negative and stereotypically uninformed light. The main basis behind people's arguments that everyone should be vaccinated is that current science believes it prevents outbreaks and therefore is good for everyone. However, there are certain risks associated with these vaccines, as was briefly touched on in the episode. Your main argument seems to be that the good of the other children who could die because of exposure to an unvaccinated child like mine outweighs the potential risks of death, brain damage, and other issues he could develop. Why is my child's life less important than some other person's child? Yes the risks are slight, but they are still there- why do I need to take the risk that my child could die or be permanently harmed by a vaccination because of the equally slight chance that he might contract measles and contagion another child? Whose right is it to decide that one child's life is more valuable than another's? Not to mention the thousands of aborted babies that some of these vaccines are made out of- I notice that was not presented in the show as a religious argument, even though that is the reason the Catholic church has spoken out against immunizations. I am not Catholic, but I am very pro-life and I feel very strongly against abortion and therefore I am against the vaccines that are made with the aborted fetuses. Of course it is politically correct to not mention this because not very many people are aware of it. There have been so many studies "proving" that vaccinations can trigger autism, and so many that "prove" it does not- to me that seems to indicate that the same science everyone loves to quote about is infallible and obviously not concretely conclusive. As far as the argument that the medical professionals know all and we should bow to their every opinion- look back over history and see how many times the so called medical authorities were wrong and caused greater harm than good. A simple point- before hand washing became common doctors went from person to person without cleansing, therefore spreading diseases rampantly. It was not considered healthy or necessary to practice hygiene as we do today. At the time, they thought they were doing the right thing. What happens if in 100 years the medical professionals decide that vaccinations caused mental illnesses and cancers to proliferate and that we never should have vaccinated, or should have done it differently? What will the logic be then?
Do I believe everyone should choose to not vaccinate as I have chosen? No- I am a firm believer in the rights of each parent to choose how to raise their child. It should be and is my right as a parent to choose the appropriate nutrition, education, religious instruction, and medical care I believe is best for my child. I choose not to smoke, both not to poison myself or my children- does that mean that all those parents who smoke around their children should be rounded up and tossed in jail because they are intentionally creating an environment that could cause those children to develop lung cancer? Of course not. What about those parents who feed their children fast food and refined sugars every day- should they be put on trial for intentionally encouraging diabetes and heart disease due to childhood obesity? Most people would laugh at thought! Yet your insidiousness on trying to push upon the American people that somehow trying to be a responsible, loving, and caring parent by not wanting my child to risk death, brain damage, autism, or seizure disorders is just the opposite is heinous and shameful at best, and completely undermines the freedoms that we love and cherish in this country. I have been a faithful Law and Order watcher, and of all the spinoffs, for years- but I feel strongly that I can no longer watch a program that portrays an issue so one-sided and without accurate information. I will also be contacting all the other mothers in my various mothers groups locally and online to spread the word of your biased and fear-based programming. I regret greatly that you chose to be so narrow minded in your portrayal of this issue.
ps- I apologize for my spelling/grammatical oversights, it's late and I'm pretty tired!
Dear NBC-
I am extremely unhappy with the content of tonight's episode. I felt you portrayed those of us who choose not to vaccinate in a very negative and stereotypically uninformed light. The main basis behind people's arguments that everyone should be vaccinated is that current science believes it prevents outbreaks and therefore is good for everyone. However, there are certain risks associated with these vaccines, as was briefly touched on in the episode. Your main argument seems to be that the good of the other children who could die because of exposure to an unvaccinated child like mine outweighs the potential risks of death, brain damage, and other issues he could develop. Why is my child's life less important than some other person's child? Yes the risks are slight, but they are still there- why do I need to take the risk that my child could die or be permanently harmed by a vaccination because of the equally slight chance that he might contract measles and contagion another child? Whose right is it to decide that one child's life is more valuable than another's? Not to mention the thousands of aborted babies that some of these vaccines are made out of- I notice that was not presented in the show as a religious argument, even though that is the reason the Catholic church has spoken out against immunizations. I am not Catholic, but I am very pro-life and I feel very strongly against abortion and therefore I am against the vaccines that are made with the aborted fetuses. Of course it is politically correct to not mention this because not very many people are aware of it. There have been so many studies "proving" that vaccinations can trigger autism, and so many that "prove" it does not- to me that seems to indicate that the same science everyone loves to quote about is infallible and obviously not concretely conclusive. As far as the argument that the medical professionals know all and we should bow to their every opinion- look back over history and see how many times the so called medical authorities were wrong and caused greater harm than good. A simple point- before hand washing became common doctors went from person to person without cleansing, therefore spreading diseases rampantly. It was not considered healthy or necessary to practice hygiene as we do today. At the time, they thought they were doing the right thing. What happens if in 100 years the medical professionals decide that vaccinations caused mental illnesses and cancers to proliferate and that we never should have vaccinated, or should have done it differently? What will the logic be then?
Do I believe everyone should choose to not vaccinate as I have chosen? No- I am a firm believer in the rights of each parent to choose how to raise their child. It should be and is my right as a parent to choose the appropriate nutrition, education, religious instruction, and medical care I believe is best for my child. I choose not to smoke, both not to poison myself or my children- does that mean that all those parents who smoke around their children should be rounded up and tossed in jail because they are intentionally creating an environment that could cause those children to develop lung cancer? Of course not. What about those parents who feed their children fast food and refined sugars every day- should they be put on trial for intentionally encouraging diabetes and heart disease due to childhood obesity? Most people would laugh at thought! Yet your insidiousness on trying to push upon the American people that somehow trying to be a responsible, loving, and caring parent by not wanting my child to risk death, brain damage, autism, or seizure disorders is just the opposite is heinous and shameful at best, and completely undermines the freedoms that we love and cherish in this country. I have been a faithful Law and Order watcher, and of all the spinoffs, for years- but I feel strongly that I can no longer watch a program that portrays an issue so one-sided and without accurate information. I will also be contacting all the other mothers in my various mothers groups locally and online to spread the word of your biased and fear-based programming. I regret greatly that you chose to be so narrow minded in your portrayal of this issue.
GEEZ, I used to love Law and Order and I'm sorry to hear that they portrayed a mamas like us that way. Frustrating. Nice letter - I am glad you are taking a stand.
:. The Church has been fairly "pro-vaccine".
i dont plan on watching it anymore either....
