What do you say when they tell you this?

[Anastasiya]

Even when I try to educate people (more like debate them when the vaccine issues are brought up because they know we don't vax), they always begin and end the conversation with something like this:

"You don't have to worry about diseases like measles because the rest of us take the risk upon ourselves and our children to vaccinate so people like you can be protected. Your child faces a smaller risk because our children take on a risk that you don't want..."

And I never really know how to answer that.

Yeah, my child's chances of contracting VPDs are lessened by the vaccinated population, but I don't think that's always a great thing. I WANT my kids to have natural immunity to cp, mumps, rubella, etc.

But with measles specifically, they always bring the "we're taking the risk for your kids so you can get by with non-vaxing for measles" argument....so, what to say?

[mykdsmomy]

You could argue that your kids are at risk from the vax'd kids when they shed after their vax's. (i cant articulate tonight....someone else might be able to explain that better...lol )

[Anastasiya]

Originally Posted by mykdsmomy

You could argue that your kids are at risk from the vax'd kids when they shed after their vax's. (i cant articulate tonight....someone else might be able to explain that better...lol )

Yeah, but that wouldn't get me anywhere because my kids "should" have been vaccinated and then they wouldn't be at risk. :

[jaidymama]

Ok, I am not a vaccine guru, but based on my understanding I would respond with these kinds of statements:

1. the risk that your child has FROM the kids who get vaccinated is a good place to start.
2. Clarify that you want your children to have natural immunity to the disease... that vaccine only has X% accuracy (is that the right term?) that even people with vaccinations can get the disease (someone with better sources, please jump in here)

3. This one I"m not sure of all the details..... please let me know if I am off base here... Just because there are people vaccinated for a disease doesn't mean that the disease no longer exists? I mean, it still has to exist somewhere right? Otherwise our RISK of getting that disease would no longer exist... which wouldn't make sense to continue the mass vaccination programs if that were true.... (oh wait, except that it's profitable). Therefore, if the disease still exists then an unvaccinated child would STILL be at risk of getting it... so if this is the case then it wouldn't be true that they are safe because your friend's children vaccinate.

I'm curious to see what others have to say....

[alegna]

Well, I'm not usually accused of being nice.... but what *I* would say is:

Sounds like your problem.

Then I would follow that up with- Ethically I can not put my child at risk for someone else.

-Angela

[jaidymama]

Originally Posted by alegna

Well, I'm not usually accused of being nice.... but what *I* would say is:

Sounds like your problem.

Then I would follow that up with- Ethically I can not put my child at risk for someone else.

-Angela

I just have to say that I always enjoy seeing and reading your posts. I absolutely love how concise your posts are. I mean in threads that can go on and on... it's tough to want to read posts that go on and on... so it's nice to see someone able to say what they mean in a concise way.. I on the other hand am learning about brevity.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by jaidymama

I just have to say that I always enjoy seeing and reading your posts. I absolutely love how concise your posts are. I mean in threads that can go on and on... it's tough to want to read posts that go on and on... so it's nice to see someone able to say what they mean in a concise way.. I on the other hand am learning about brevity.

Thanks :

-Angela

[Plummeting]

I would say, "Well that's interesting, because in my worldview, you people are screwing it all up for my kid. Here I am trying to get natural immunity for her, which will protect her for much longer, without all the known and unknown side effects of vaccines and which will allow her to pass on protective passive immunity to her own children, which is something vaccinated women can't do. And then you come along and screw it up for all of us, so that now it's hard for my kid to get that natural immunity and she's left footing the bill (in the form of higher healthcare and tax costs) for the chronic health problems suffered more commonly by vaccinated kids. So in my opinion, gratitude is the last thing I owe you." No one ever says stuff like that to me. It's really too bad, because I'd love an opportunity to say all that back.

[aira]

What Plummeting said exactly.

But I'm getting too old, and I'd likely just blurt out something like, "Well, it's a choice you have too."

[mykdsmomy]

Originally Posted by Plummeting

I would say, "Well that's interesting, because in my worldview, you people are screwing it all up for my kid. Here I am trying to get natural immunity for her, which will protect her for much longer, without all the known and unknown side effects of vaccines and which will allow her to pass on protective passive immunity to her own children, which is something vaccinated women can't do. And then you come along and screw it up for all of us, so that now it's hard for my kid to get that natural immunity and she's left footing the bill (in the form of higher healthcare and tax costs) for the chronic health problems suffered more commonly by vaccinated kids. So in my opinion, gratitude is the last thing I owe you." No one ever says stuff like that to me. It's really too bad, because I'd love an opportunity to say all that back.

There....that's it....right there.....That's what I was trying to say