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Vaccinations Should Be Mandatory

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A recent controversy has been, whether parents should or should not be permitted to opt their children out of required vaccinations. Parents should not be able to opt out of required vaccinations because they are beneficial and can cause serious risks if not taken. In “Refusing Vaccinations Puts Others At Risk”, Ronald Bailey remarks that parents are putting others at risk by not vaccinating their children. In the article “The Return of Measles”, Seth Mnookin stated as well, that by opting out of vaccinations, others can be put in jeopardy. Although there is also another side of this controversy with people who believe parents have a right to opt their children out of vaccinations. In an excerpt from “Vaccinations and Free Will”. Jeffrey A. Singer implies that people cannot be forced to have their child receive a vaccination. Finally, in “The Science is Not Settled”, Sandy Reider claims that vaccinations cause further harm than good. While Reider and Singer claim that parents should be able to opt out, it is clear that parents should not be able to opt out because it places others around them in danger. Some people believe that vaccinations should be the choice of parents and that opting out should be an option. Although these beliefs have not been thought out thoroughly. “The Science is Not Settled”, by Sandy Reider incorrectly suggests that vaccinations aren’t beneficial and that they are almost useless. Jeffrey A. Singer also implies in “Vaccinations and Free Will” that people should not be forced to get a vaccine. Singer states, “Forcibly injecting substances… into someone else’s body cannot be justified as an act of self-defense..” (text 3). This quote is completely wrong. People get vaccinations to protect themselves and others. They were made for the protection of people, not to hurt them. It is self-defense, but not just for one person, for a large quantity of people. A vaccination is a mechanism of defense and people need to get them in order to stay healthy. Reider remarks, “We know that the young child’s nervous and immune systems are actively developing and uniquely vulnerable…” (text 4). A child’s nervous system is weak. At young ages, children cannot get vaccinated. Meaning, its an adult’s

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