What do you do when they're part of your extended family?
I've got a few strong words about this as it makes me really angry. The printable ones include; selfish, insane, stupid, criminally sociopathic. It seems to me that they are relying on the rest of society to protect their children from some diseases that kill people or seriously damage them. Measles, Mumps, Rubella, TB, Polio, Whooping Cough and so on have not been completely wiped out in the UK and are on the rise again precisely because some people don't take part in the vaccination programs. In a country with a high immigration and travel from the rest of the world, there's a constant small inflow of the diseases. There are other implications as well. Do you seriously want to opt your child out of the education and healthcare systems as well even though you yourself get asthma attacks that require occasional visits to A&E and a prescription for a Ventolin inhaler?
This also seems to me to be a symptom of a really strange selective rejection of some aspects of the scientific process for faith based reasons that's becoming way too common. It's 2011, but apparently some people want to go back to 1511 but only for the few things that don't match up with their faith. This is insane, isn't it?
46 Trinity Rd, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 7
Thats the link, and from what I recall the main reason for concern is that there was a report claiming that the vaccinations can cause autism. This has since been medically disproved and discredited as the research in the original study was falsified.
There are occurances where children show signs of Autism after being vaccinated, however autism is a genetic mutation and as such vaccinations would not bring it on. Children show signs of Autism from about 3 years onwards, which conincidentaly is the age at which the MMR vaccine is given. To say one causes the other is like claiming that a the train leaving Kings Cross at 7:30 causes Eastenders to start. They happen at the same time, but they are no dependant on each other.
“Alternative Medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved not to work. You know what they call “alternative medicine” that’s been proved to work?
Medicine.”
Some say they want their kids chemical free. And have no realisation that some alternative remedies are chemical concoctions.
I would tell them straight not to mess with the kids development!
BTW. Love the Penn and Teller video linked above.
"Even if the MMR Vaccine caused Autism, which it fucking doesn't, anti-vaccination would still be bullshit"
It actually reminds me of a lady who had a child the same time as my son wad born. She fed the child solely on fish paste! A Japanese thing apparently. The baby did not develop well at all, and it was only after the child became ill did the mother change diet!
If they disengage, then there is nothing much further you can do, but they're unlikely to disengage because they'll feel that as a loss. That means the most likely outcome is an attempt to meet you on your terms with reason and facts.
Once that happens, they will typically be outclassed, not for want of intelligence or reasoning ability, but for dearth of facts and counter-arguments. You'll force them to think about what you're saying and about how they can respond. Once you have them thinking again, you have some hope of reaching them.
It's hard work, but I've managed to get a couple of relatives to change their minds by enough that they are now 'spreading the word' among their friends.