Memberwhat peach acid said actually…. I don’t think if a child is medically unable to get vaccinated they *should* be kept out of school. I do think that kids who aren’t vaccinated simply because of the choice of their parents should have to find other options. If it’s not medically or religiously necessary than it shouldn’t be tolerated.
MemberIt’s no vaccination OR no excemption = no school.
I’m good with that, as long as the excemption process is reasonable.
MemberI’m fine with that small sector of the population not being vaccinated! But for those people who CAN’T be vaccinated, everyone else NEEDS to be!
MemberMy original post was about parents who have the option to vaccinate their children. But I see both of your points about the medical conditions and religious exemptions.
So I guess now I’m just confused, and not being argumentitive but honestly looking for an answer here; If the issue of “no vaccination = no school” is because unvaccinated children are a risk to the other children, then how is an unvaccinated child due to exemption any less of a risk than an unvaccinated child due to choice?
Maybe I just don’t understand the issue well enough, I don’t have kids so I’ll admit I haven’t done much research on this, but if unvaccination = risk then I don’t understand why the REASON would change that.
MemberLooking at it individually, the risks are the same. Herd immunity comes into play though. The number of people who shouldn’t be vaccinated because the risk is too high is small. Usually small enough that if everyone else was vaccinated, the entire group is at a very low risk of having the disease go through them.
When you open it up to choice there’s a much higher probability the herd immunity threshold won’t be reached, and the risk to the whole group increases.
MemberThe schools have to put their foot down when it comes to public health. If your child has medical issues which make it dangerous to receive vaccines, you know, you have options. Either homeschool them or pray that they don’t catch it from some anti-vaxer. Religious restrictions don’t have my sympathy. If you’re so devout that faith outweighs possible death by a preventable disease you should send your kid to a religious school. Enough with this catering to the minority. I remember the days when if you had a peanut allergy you ate lunch in the classroom instead of the cafeteria. Now some schools ban every student from enjoying a pb&j, even if it’s just 1 out of 300 who has an allergy.
MemberTo clarify, as the article linked in the OP was misleading.
From a government site:
Is immunization compulsory in Canada? Does my child have to be immunized?
Immunization is not compulsory or “forced” in Canada, but we do have regulations that help ensure that as many people as possible are protected by vaccines from the diseases they prevent. Some provinces require certain vaccines to be given before a child can enter school, but these are not mandatory in the usual sense of the term. Rather, parents (or children, if they are old enough to give consent) are required to declare a choice of whether to have their child (or themselves) immunized or not. If they choose not to, the child may be told that he or she must stay home from school if there is an outbreak of disease. This rule is designed to keep unimmunized children from getting sick and to keep the outbreak from spreading. School entry regulations also give parents an opportunity to bring their child’s immunizations up to date. Health care workers may also be required to have certain vaccinations, such as hepatitis B vaccine and an annual ‘flu shot’. If they refuse, they may be required to stay away from work during an outbreak. This practice protects their patients, who could be in grave danger if they became ill with a communicable disease.
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/vs-sv/vs-faq16-eng.php
From an anti-vax site:
Vaccinations are NOT mandatory in Canada. “Unlike some countries, immunization is not mandatory in Canada; it cannot be made mandatory because of the Canadian Constitution. Three provinces require proof of immunization for school entrance: Ontario and New Brunswick for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella immunization; Manitoba for measles. But, exceptions are permitted on medical or religious grounds and reasons of conscience; legislation and regulations must not be interpreted to imply compulsory immunization.” (Immunization in Canada; May, 1997; Vol 23S4 and Canadian National Report on Immunization; 1996).
This means that nobody in Canada can be forced to receive a vaccination. In some cases, nursery schools, daycares, and other schools which are privately owned and operated can demand vaccination for enrollment. But publically-funded schools and daycares cannot.
Furthermore, Canadian Medical Law clearly states that healthcare recipients must be informed of all significant risks posed by any invasive medical procedure that carries a risk of injury or death. Vaccination is such a procedure; every Canadian must have received and understood all the information that is pertinent to the vaccination(s) to which they consent.
So the suspension being given in this case were about people who just got lazy with doing something either way – whether that be getting vaccinated, or stating that they wouldn’t be doing so.
MemberMemberChildren depend on their parents to make these decisions for them. A child can’t tell the doctor to vaccinate them even though mommy said no, not that children have enough background information about vaccines and why we get them. I honestly would have been pretty pissed off at my parents if I ended up in the hospital and missing school for weeks because I ended up with whooping cough or some other disease that there is no reason for me to have.
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