Vaccine Viewpoints
Todd Cotterman

(1)Parents have a lot to be concerned about today. They carefully supervise time spent in front of the television or at the computer and shuttle children between school and extracurricular activities. One thing parents should not be worried about is vaccinating their kids; still, the debate rages on.

(2)A growing number of parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children. While there are legitimate reasons not to vaccinate, including certain medical conditions that compromise immune systems, many parents are objecting to vaccination shots for philosophical reasons. The real culprit undermining the public’s safety is a baseless claim that vaccinations lead to autism.

(3)Autism is a complex developmental disorder with no known cause or cure. Symptoms usually present themselves before the age of three. Proponents of the autism-vaccine link argue that the fact that many autism diagnoses occur during the time many toddlers receive their first immunizations is more than just coincidence. The Centers for Disease Control found that there is no link between vaccines and autism. The recent rise in autism is scary, but blaming vaccines shifts the focus away from finding the true cause of this disease.

(4)Parents put their children in serious danger by not immunizing. The diseases we immunize against are not gone and they are still deadly. Even chicken pox, a seemingly innocent disease, can kill. Choosing not to immunize endangers sick children and infants who cannot receive shots. It also undermines the community immunity. Unvaccinated individuals make it easier for diseases to spread.

(5)Vaccination should not be a choice, but more states are passing laws that allow parents to send their children to school without their shots. Vaccines are not perfect; there is always some risk. But the risk is negligible when we consider the threat an unvaccinated society presents to us all.
Which statement is MOST opposed to the viewpoint expressed on this web page?

A) Failing to immunize is more risky than the vaccines are.
B) Parents should have the last word on whether to vaccinate.
C) There is no hard scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.
D) It is more important to protect all of society than to protect one child.