So there's this measles outbreak across 14 states that's causing a lot of talk about vaccinations again. Mostly because it was unvaccinated kids/people at the core of the outbreak. President Obama said during an interview on Superbowl Sunday that people should vaccinate their kids. Since next year is an election year, naturally the potential Republican candidates had to respond, and being anti-anything-Obama says, they're trotting out the whole "choice" view when it comes to vaccinations.
It's one of those topics where I used to be more torn between the views. I mean, forcing someone to vaccinate their child seems wrong. But we are now seeing the results of that with many childhood diseases making a resurgence in the United States. (Whooping cough, measles, etc). Where do we draw the line between one person's choice and the overall community?
Frankly in this instance I think it should be the overall health of the community, that trumps parental choice. Especially when you consider that most of that "choice" has been fueled by one debunked study linking autism and vaccines. Something that has been disproved time after time by the medical/scientific community. At the least, opt-out should be much more restricted, and should be allowed only after the parent has had a consultation with a medical doctor and given accurate, factual information. One state is doing this (I think California?) with good results in the near-term.
And then I shared an article on Facebook from one of the Republican candidates saying vaccines are linked to "mental disorders". How irresponsible in light of the current climate. So I commented that if I was a parent that lost my child to one of these preventable diseases because a parent doesn't vaccinate, I'd sue these people for their comments. To which my Dad replied you can't sue someone for free speech.
But is it protected free speech? When they have the weight of their position, etc, behind them. When they should know better. When they have resources to verify these issues before making statements. How about exercising some of that personal responsibility Republicans are always going on about and not make a statement that is inflammatory, and could cause potential harm to someone, even cost them their life? I mean, yelling "fire" in a crowded theater is free speech, right? But it's also not protected. Libel, slander, commercial speech restrictions...
And of course I could take this into the hypocrisy of these statements being made by Republicans about choice, when they are hell-bent on denying women any right to choose when it comes to our bodies. Or using "choice" to insert creationism/religion into school curriculum. Or using "choice" to limit other parent's choice by removing medically accurate sex ed from health curriculums. Instead of teaching it to their kid at home, or opting their kid out of that portion of the class, they seek to take it away from everyone else. But I'm digressing.
Free speech has limits. And I still say I'd sue the pants of these people if I lost a child because someone out there didn't get the vaccination or vaccinate their kid(s) because of what they said.
