Around the Web…

These links are worth a click:

• Parents refusing to vaccinate their child sue their Catholic preschool — Gothamist
• After dying during labor, a mom and baby are both revived — KKTV.com
• In light of recent airline threats, there are new rules for flying with children — New York Times
• What’s your “parenting resolution” for 2010? — lilSugar
• New research suggests that nearly half of men who get vasectomies don’t follow up to see if the procedure worked — BusinessWeek

Comments

Rachel on December 30th, 2009

The thing about sending your child to a private school is that you have to abide by their regulations and rules. These include regulations on jewelry, uniforms, haircuts, etc…

It’s one of the downfalls, sure, but it’s also one of the benefits. It was always a joke when we went to high school when people would say “but they let you do that at *insert name of school here*”… we’d say “But this is Catholic School – our motto – leave your rights at the door!”

Vaccination is not against the Catholic religion and Catholic schools do not have to accept the same non-vaccination reasons that public schools do, so my guess is that this family won’t be winning that lawsuit.

Erika on December 30th, 2009

Rachel- ITA with what you said. Here (in my school district) you can’t go to public school without vaccine’s, let alone a private school with it’s own rules and regulations. And there is NOTHING that says anything about Catholics having to be against vaccines. The only religion I know of that is against vaccines (I’m sure there are more) is Christian Science (or something like that). I’m Catholic and pro-vaccines anyway.

In regards to the baby and mother who died- it is nothing short of a miracle. Congrats to that family on their little boy and thank God they are okay!

Kate on December 30th, 2009

Don’t public schools have to provide vaccine exemptions for religious and/or philosophical reasons in every state? What school district doesn’t?

Rachel on December 30th, 2009

Kate – yes public schools do. Private schools don’t though, because private schools are privately funded and therefore they can make their own rules regarding those types of issues. This is not to say that all of them do, or that some schools wouldn’t accept a parents decision to not vaccinate their child, it just says that basically the private school gets to make that call on their own. Which is why this couple shouldn’t win this case.

Erika on December 30th, 2009

Kate- mine doesn’t. Well technically they do for religious and medical (not philisophical), but you need evidence such as a letter from some religious official or from a doctor if you have a medical excuse (only medically fragile or allergic to vaccine ingredients though). In a neighboring district (same rules) people took it to court, and since they couldn’t provide evidence or their ‘religious’ beliefs, they were told to vaccinate or not be allowed in. I am in New York, but I would rather not say where on the internet.

I’m kind of glad that my future children won’t be going to school with kids that are unvaccinated since diseases can mutate and all, but I do think it’s the parents’ right to choose whether to give it to them or not, so I’m neutral on it.

JM on December 30th, 2009

nothing like some good old fashioned ignorance is there? sorry if it seems harsh but it is one of the things that drives me crazy more than almost anything else, these ignorant parents not vaccinating their kids. when we have literally MOUNTAINS of irrefutable scientific evidence of the good they do and that the negative reports you read are fear mongering by a tiny minority of doctors who simply don’t WANT to accept the real science. not giving your child a vaccine is the same as refusing blood transfusions when they need them. pure and utter ignorance. such a shame that so many things could be prevented if parents just vaccinated their kids.
ok, rant over.

Kate on December 30th, 2009

JM
What is ignorant to me is people who mindnlessly vaccinate their newborns for Hep B when the only way a baby can contract it is through a mother who has it(or unprotected sex and needle sharing, which I think i can keep my baby away from). This is just one example of how the masses following outdated publc policy. I’m not pro or anti-vaccine. I’m for informed decisions. All vaccines have risks, but some are necessary for my child. Others aren’t(chicken pox or STD vaccines). By judging others through your simplistic lense you are guilty of the same ignorance you accuse others of.

Manda Jo on December 31st, 2009

Actually Kate Hep B can be spread through saliva also, which babies slobber all over everything…taken right from the CDC:

How is Hepatitis B spread?
Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluid infected with the Hepatitis B virus enters the body of a person who is not infected. People can become infected with the virus during activities such as:
Birth (spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth)
Sex with an infected partner
Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment
Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person
Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
Exposure to blood from needlesticks or other sharp instruments

Kids get cuts all the time too…I would rather not take any chances.

N.S on December 31st, 2009

Well PHEW I’m glad I live in Ireland where both public and private schools neither ask nor care whether or not children are vaccinated.
It’s the families business, bot the schools, and we have no out-breaks of anything.

I mean, where is the “freedom” in America people are all talking about?