1. Vaccination should be required for children. No individual should have the right to risk the health of the public solely for the purpose of satisfying their personal moral, philosophical, or religious views.
   
   
2. Vaccines can eradicate disease and prevent serious illness and death. Mandatory vaccination has eradicated diseases that once killed thousands of children, such as polio and smallpox. According to researchers at the Pediatric Academic Society, childhood vaccinations in the US prevent about 10.5 million cases of infectious illness and 33,000 deaths per year. [2]
   
   
3. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease. When children who have been vaccinated do contract a disease, despite being vaccinated against it, they usually have milder symptoms with less serious complications than an un-vaccinated child that gets the same disease. [3]
   
   
4. Since some individuals that have been vaccinated may still get sick when exposed to infected individuals, 75% - 94% (639 KB) of the population (depending on the disease) must be vaccinated to acheive "herd immunity." When herd immunity is achieved the number of immunized individuals is high enough to prevent the spread of disease through the population. [4]
   
   
5. The risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases like measles and mumps can cause permanent disability and death. In 1991 an outbreak of measles in an unvaccinated group of children in Philadelphia caused seven deaths. Children infected with the mumps can become permanently deaf. [5] Although a very small number of deaths from the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine have been reported (39 KB) , the most common adverse reactions are minor soreness and or fever.
   
   
6. Even when diseases seem to no longer exist, outbreaks can still occur if children are not vaccinated. In Boulder, CO, fear over possible side effects of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine [6] led many parents to refuse vaccination for their children causing Boulder to have the lowest school-wide vaccination rate in Colorado for whooping cough and one of the highest rates of whooping cough in the US as of 2002. [7]
   
   
7. Because children and infants are more vulnerable to the swine flu (H1N1 virus) they should be required to take the FDA-approved vaccine to prevent illness and possible death. [8]
   
   
8. The claim that vaccines cause autism is false.  Many studies, including one by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, reject the hypothesis that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, causes autism [9]. On Mar. 12, 2010, in the case of Mead v. Secretary of Health and Human Services (500 KB) , the US Court of Federal Claims ruled that the "theory of vaccine-related causation [of autism] is scientifically unsupportable."
   
   
9. Children should be required to receive vaccination against hepatitis B. The disease can cause inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver or cancer. The World Health Organization recommends that hepatitis B vaccination be a part of universal childhood vaccination programs. Reports that the hepatitis B vaccine may cause multiple sclerosis have been refuted by many published studies. [10]
   
   
10. Girls between the ages of 11 and 12 should be required to get the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine because it protects against four strains of HPV - two of which cause cervical cancer. In the US, cervical cancer is the second leading cancer killer of women, with 10,000 women diagnosed each year, and 3,700 dying from the disease (as of 2009). The HPV vaccine can stop these deaths and should be given to all girls before they become sexually active and have the potential to contract HPV. [11]
    
    
11. Vaccines should be required because they produce significant economic benefits for society.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every $1 spent on vaccination saves the public $6.30 in medical costs (123 KB)  that would result from having to treat unvaccinated diseased individuals.
    
    
    
    
    

1. Governments should not have the right to intervene in the health decisions parents make for their children. 31% of parents (639 KB)  believe they should have the right to refuse mandated school entry vaccinations for their children, according to a 2010 survey by the University of Michigan.
   
   
2. Many parents hold religious beliefs against vaccination. Forcing such parents to vaccinate their children would violate the 1st Amendment which guarantees citizens the right to the free exercise of their religion.
   
   
3. Vaccines are often unnecessary in many cases where the threat of death from disease is small. During the early nineteenth century, mortality for the childhood diseases whooping cough, measles, and scarlet fever fell drastically before immunization became available. This decreased mortality has been attributed to improved personal hygiene, water purification, effective sewage disposal, and better food hygiene and nutrition. [12]
   
   
4. Vaccines interfere with natural law and God's plan for humanity. Disease is a natural occurrence, and humans should not interfere with its trajectory.
   
   
5. Common childhood vaccinations may cause rare yet serious reactions (139KB) including anaphylactic shock, paralysis, and sudden death. This risk is not worth taking, especially considering most diseases vaccinated against are not necessarily life threatening.
   
   
6. Vaccines can trigger auto-immune disorders such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), and other disorders. [13]
   
   
7. Vaccines can cause brain inflammation (encephalopathy) which can lead to death or permanent brain damage and disorders such as autism, ADD/ADHD, and other developmental problems. [14] In addition, the vaccine additive thimerosal (found in most pre-1999 vaccines) has been associated specifically with the development of autism and is still found in certain meningococcal, tetanus, and flu vaccines such as the H1N1 vaccine (62 KB) .
   
   
8. Vaccines clog and disrupt the lymphatic system with large foreign protein molecules (the active ingredients contained within vaccines) which may lead to lymphatic cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. [15]
   
   
9. All vaccines cause immune system suppression, and can permanently damage the natural immune system. Unvaccinated children build and strengthen their immune systems through fighting off infection and developing natural immunity to diseases like measles and chickenpox. Artificial immunity, generated through vaccination, weakens the immune system and leaves children more vulnerable to all other diseases and infections. [16]
   
   
10. Children should not be required to receive the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine. Some studies have shown that children who receive the DPT vaccine exhibit shallow breathing which has been associated with sleep apnea and may be a causal factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Studies of infants whose deaths were recorded as SIDS show a temporal relationship with DPT vaccination (these infants tended to die at similar time intervals in relation to when they were vaccinated). [17]
    
    
11. Children should not receive the hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B is a blood-born disease and is primarily spread by sexual intercourse and intravenous drug use. Children are not at great risk of contracting the disease. In addition, researchers have found that immunization with the hepatitis B vaccine is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. [18]
    
    
12. Young girls should not receive mandatory vaccination for HPV (human papilloma virus). The vaccine was approved in 2006 and the long-term effects are unknown. Since approval, adverse side effects such as severe allergic reactions, Guillain-Barré syndrome, spinal cord inflammation and pancreatitis have been reported to the US Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System. Although these adverse reactions may be rare, they are not worth the risk since the vaccine only protects against two of the 15 strains of HPV that may cause cancer of the cervix (20-40 years after an individual is infected). [19]
    
    
13. Vaccines are promoted primarily to generate profits for manufacturers and financial donations for medical organizations that endorse vaccines. In 2003, a House Committee on Government Reform report (4 MB)  revealed that the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had members with significant financial ties to vaccine companies. The American Academy of Pediatrics, a leading pro-vaccination organization, receives millions of dollars from vaccine companies. [20]

1. All 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools even though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. All 50 states issue medical exemptions, 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions [1], and 20 states allow an exemption (71 KB) for philosophical reasons.
   
   
2. Over 5,500 cases alleging a causal relationship between vaccinations and autism have been filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the US Court of Federal Claims between 2001 and 2009. [21]
   
   
3. The US Court of Federal Claims Office of Special Masters, between 1988 and 2009, has awarded compensation to 1,322 families whose children suffered brain damage from vaccines. [22]
   
   
4. About 30,000 cases of adverse reactions to vaccines have been reported annually to the federal government since 1990, with 13% classified as serious, meaning associated with permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death. [23]
   
   
5. According to a 2003 report by researchers at the Pediatric Academic Society, childhood vaccinations in the US prevent about 10.5 million cases of infectious illness and 33,000 deaths per year. [2]

[25]

On Feb. 20, 1905, mandatory vaccination was upheld by the US Supreme Court case Jacobson v. Massachusetts (89 KB) .[26] In the aftermath of the ruling more states across the country began to implement mandatory child vaccination as a condition of public school attendance.

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In 1986 the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (3 MB) was passed in response to a large number of lawsuits being filed claiming vaccines were causing adverse reactions including brain damage and death. [28] The Act served to

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In July 2001, Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) held a congressional hearing (259 KB) where he requested that the FDA immediately recall vaccines still containing mercury (certain influenza, meningococcal, and tetanus vaccines (40 KB) ) due to the risks associated with autism. The request was not met. In a subsequent Oct. 25 letter to then Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala (68 KB) , Representative Burton stated that "leaving thimerosal containing vaccines on the market is unconscionable."

As of Feb. 1, 2009, over 5,500 cases alleging a causal relationship between vaccinations and autism have been filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the United States Court of Federal Claims.[21] They are all under consideration by the Office of Special Masters. Between 1988 and 2009, the United States Court of Federal Claims Office of Special Masters has awarded compensation to 1,322 families whose children suffered brain damage from vaccines [22].

By Nov. 30, 2009, the mercury-based preservative thimerosal had been phased out of all vaccines in the US with the exception of certain influenza, meningococcal, and tetanus vaccines (40 KB) .

About 30,000 cases of adverse reactions to vaccines have been reported annually to the federal government since 1990, with 13% classified as serious, meaning associated with permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death. According to the CDC, infants (children less than one year old) are at greatest risk for adverse medical events from vaccination including high fevers, seizures, and sudden infant death syndrome. [23]  As of 2010, more than 10 million vaccines are given to children under the age of one each year in the US. [30]

1. "The premise that immunization may harm children is illogical.  It ignores the fact that millions of children can be saved from fatal or maiming illnesses that those who oppose vaccination ignore.  I saw children with measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, tetanus and polio and those who want to sacrifice millions of children to these illnesses and others because of potential, not proved, risk are guilty of child abuse.  Moreover, the study in the Lancet of 1998 [linking the MMR vaccine to autism] was retracted by the Lancet and deplored by the British medical association because it was proved that the authors falsified results, were involved in criminal activity and gross malpractice.  Thus all claims based on the Lancet article regarding autism are null and void...
   
   Not vaccinating children is a crime.  Those who promote directly or indirectly not to immunize children are criminals, potential killers."
   Issac Barr, MD, Feb. 4, 2010

1. "Our government created an epidemic of sick kids by creating an immunization schedule that was not based on good science or common sense. So many aspects regarding vaccine safety were overlooked before the implementation of so many vaccines.
   
   1. Nobody bothered to add up the amount of mercury that was to be injected into childen.
   
   2. Very little research regarding the type of mercury in the vaccines.
   
   3. Nobody added up the amount of Aluminum (another neurotoxin) in the vaccines.
   
   4. Nobody studied the effect of the combination of Mercury and Aluminum (both heavy metals) in the vaccines. When combining heavy metals there is a synergistic effect that makes them more toxic in combination with each other.
   
   5. No studies done on what effect the first six months of the schedule has on the nervous and immune systems (or any other bodily systems).
   
   6. No studies done on giving multiple shots in one day.
   
   7. No long term studies on the entire schedule.
   
   In short, what this has amounted to is a massive experimentation on our children."
   Anonymous, Jan. 24, 2010
   
   
2. "If it were to become common knowledge about the way vaccines were made and what additives they contain, I truly doubt parents would be so quick to inject these substances directly into the blood stream of their tiny babies at the rate of 21 different vaccines in the first year of their lives.
   
   When we are pregnant we are told to mind what we eat and drink, after the birth of our children they are pumped full toxic substances and we are told it is for their health. Something is very wrong with this picture."
   Phyllis, Jan. 22, 2010

1. "The thing I find most fascinating about this entire vaccination controversy is the NIH & CDCs TOTAL refusal to investigate any and all potential 'control groups.'
   
   There are many, many groups of people in America that do not vaccinate AT ALL and never have, for religious reasons. The Amish are just one group. There are easily 1,000,000 people in America who have never been vaccinated for anything. Science (real science) can be done here! A control group is out there! But, instead of taking advantage of it and doing the real science we are encouraged to 'be religious' in our thinking and 'believe' that vaccines can never be harmful. I, it appears, am not the only person that finds this highly suspicious.
   
   Until I can see the 'SCIENCE' that proves that non-vaccinated individuals live shorter lives, suffer from more diseases and have the SAME rates of autism as their fully vaccinated counterparts (within the SAME society) I will remain highly skeptical of a community that calls itself scientific, but refuses to do the science to back up what it claims."
   Dr. G.P. Weyble, Feb. 11, 2010
   

Additional sources used in site development:

Barbra Loe Fischer, "H1N1: Fact or Fiction?," www.nvic.org, Nov. 11, 2009

Barbra Loe Fisher, "Politics, Profits & Pandemic Fear Mongering," www.nvic.org, May 1, 2009

Daniel R. Feikin, et al., "Individual and Community Risks of Measles and Pertussis Associated with Personal Exemptions to Immunizaiton," Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 27, 2000

Elizabeth A. Breen, "A One Shot Deal: The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act," William and Mary Law Review, Vol. 41, 1999

Gary Null, "Vaccines: A Second Opinion," www.garynull.com (accessed Jan. 14, 2010)

Government Accountability Office (GAO), "Childhood Vaccines: Challenges in Preventing Future Shortages," www.biotech.law.lsu.edu, Sep. 17, 2002

Lauren Feder, "H1N1 Flu: Will History Repeat Itself?," www.drfeder.com (accessed Dec. 15, 2009)

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, "Immunization Safety Review: Thimerosal - Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorders," www.nap.edu, 2001

Kathryn M. Edwards, "State Mandates and Childhood Immunization," Journal of the American Medical Association, Dec. 27, 2000

National Network for Immunization Information, "Common Questions about School Immunization Laws," www.immunizationinfo.org (accessed Dec. 14, 2009)

Organic Consumers Association, "The Great Thimerosal Cover-Up: Mercury, Vaccines, Autism and Your Child's Health," www.organicconsumers.org (accessed Dec. 14, 2009)

Paul A. Offit, "Inoculated against Facts," New York Times, Mar. 31, 2008

Paul Douglas Parkman, "We Can't Forget the Value of Vaccines," FDA Consumer, July-Aug. 2002

Paul Stehr-Green, et al., "Autism and Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: Lack of Consistent Evidence for an Association," American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Vol. 25, 2003

Vaccinate Your Baby, "Why Vaccinate?," www.vaccinateyourbaby.org (accessed Dec. 15, 2009)