I have friends who have been placed on the autism spectrum and I have friends and acquaintances with autistic children. I am not unsympathetic to their suffering.
It is my responsibility, however, to look out for my children. If these friends and parents decide not to vaccinate their children, I'm not sure that I can in good conscience allow my children to be exposed to theirs.
I once read an article advising parents to ask whether or not there is a gun in the house before allowing the children to have a play date. Othes have laughed at this since the statistics for accidental swimming pool related deaths are so much higher that accidental gun related deaths. These people would have you ask whether or not a family has a swimming pool before asking about the gun. Since 2007, when Jenny McCarthy and friends began encouraging parents not to vaccinate their children (according to the CDC) there have been 506 vaccine preventable deaths and 56,588 vaccine preventable illnesses. The numbers are only going up as parents continue not vaccinating. Why shouldn't I also be asking whether or not your children have been vaccinated?
Awkward? Uncomfortable? Oh yes. But, that's parenting, folks.
There is an overwhelming lack of evidence at this point linking vaccinations to autism. I do not think that we should consider the case closed and stop looking for links all together. But, to use such unscientific hunches and feelings to support your decision to endanger my children is not acceptable to me and we will have to continue our friendship over the phone or internet.
Vaccines are not 100% effective. Even though my children have been and will continue to be vaccinated, their immunity is not 100% guaranteed. Their chances are much slimmer, but when their playmates are not vaccinated and have a much greater risk (22 times more likely to get measles, for example) of coming down with a vaccine preventable disease, these playmates and their parents put my children at a greater risk as well.
On Christmas, in the first trimester of my current pregnancy we had a measles exposure scare. If for some reason my screens had come back without any apparent immunity for measles, I would have probably had a heart attack. If I had come down with measles rubella, the chances of Isla being born with CRS (associated with deafness, blindness, heart malformations and mental retardation) are as much as 85%. And, that is if she even made it to birth. A measles rubella infection in many cases causes miscarriage, preterm birth or stillbirth.
We waited two stressful weeks for my friend's labs to come back to find out that what they thought was measles was actually adult chicken pox. This was in someone who had already had chicken pox! Her body apparently cannot develop an immunity to chicken pox and it is likely that she will get it if she's exposed again. So go get your chicken pox vaccinations for her sake. Please!
Anyhoo...
My husband and I have turned down one birthday party invitation and are considering making it a sort of family "practice" to avoid places and events where we know that there will be unvaccinated children and adults present. I guess in a sense it is also our way to speak up about the dangers Jenny McCarthy and friends are exposing all of us to.
For more info, history and links to CDC vaccine preventable illness and death statistics visit:
www.jennymccarthybodycount.com
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