Summary
As of October, Rockland County in New York has been marked with a measles outbreak that has had 153 cases, and this outbreak as continued to this day. Tuesday, March 26th, however marked a change in the way that this outbreak is dealt with as Ed Day, the county executive of Rockland declared a state of emergency which would be acted upon by banning unvaccinated children and teens from public places. The majority of these children or teens in the Rockland county are a part of ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities who read and hear anti-vaccination information leading to only 72.9 percent of children and teens to be vaccinated. Children and teens have been barred from public areas like schools, places of worship, and places for shopping, and this ban is set to last 30 days. Unvaccinated children place other people who actually cannot be vaccinated in the Rockland community at risk; therefore, punishment like fining or placing the parents of the unvaccinated child will follow suit if the anti-vaccination ideas stay prevalent.
This entire situation places the rights of citizens on the border of being protected or not. Therefore, this connects to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as these founding documents lay out the basic rights endowed to all humans. If citizens are prohibited from being in public areas, their rights are being infringed upon which poses a major civil liberties question relating to the constitutionality of such a policy. Moreover, the infringement of civil liberties relates to the the children and teens who are a part of Rockland County as they read anti-vaccination literature. This literature promotes the a culture which strays from the status quo and puts many people at risk to obtain measles. However, the banning of this literature would lead to the removal of the right to free speech. Ultimately, any policy to ban children from reading the literature or stop the publication of sit infringes upon the rights and powers enumerated in the Constitution and bill of Rights.
Questions:
1. The anti-vaccination culture has a variety of causes whether it be the community, parenting style, or following religion, but do you think parents should have control over their children and their ability to receive a vaccination?
2. The current legislation which now states that children and teens are not allowed in public places is set to last for 30 days. After these 30 days, do you think this should should be continued? Why or why not?
3. Is there any way for the government to ensure that parents approve for their children to vaccinated? If so, what do you think that way is?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/measles-outbreak-rockland-county.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage
Either way, basic rights are infringed upon with the anti-vaccine movement. In my opinion, this legislation should continue to be applied until the measles numbers go down. As a society, we face trade-offs, and here we either trade the health and well being of people or the rights to read whatever we want and be wherever we want. Just like in times of war, this measles outbreak could be considered a crisis, and I think we could give up a little bit of our rights to save lives. In this case, I do not think parents should have control over their children and their ability to receive a vaccination because it is directly harming the health of those who are physically unable to get the vaccine. Since lives are at stake, the government should intervene to ensure parents get their children vaccinated. Legislation should continue until numbers go down. I don't think we should infringe on the right of speech because that may be going too far, but it is in our best interest to put out more reliable information about the benefits of vaccination and the bad effects of not getting vaccinated. I think more legislation should be passed to ensure vaccination. Putting others lives at risk is not worth the worry of whether the government is infringing on a couple rights. I think we need to make a sacrifice to ensure the measles numbers go down.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that in general, the government should not necessarily force people to vaccinate their children because it is a freedom people need. HOWEVER, I think they pose a great threat to everyone else, specifically people with autoimmune diseases who literally can not get vaccines. It is unfair that those who don't want to face the minor risk, could potentially cause the death of a child suffering from leukemia for instance. That being said, this barring I don't believe is unconstitutional or overstepping government power because it protects lives. If these unvaccinated kids go out, it could further spread the measles outbreak, killing thousands. We have seen the devastation caused by such diseases, and I think that any symptom that may occur is better than seeing your child die. I think an interesting solution could be that vaccinated families receive some sort of benefit to incentivize people to get vaccines without specifically forcing people to do them. Maybe we can increase taxes just slightly but then people who are vaccinated or have evidence that they can not be vaccinated (whether for medical or religious reasons), would have their taxes cut. I haven't done enough research to prove this point or demonstrate the effects, but I think it could be a good balance between government oversight and maintaining public health
DeleteAlthough it is necessary children be vaccinated, I think it would be unconstitutional to have the government require children to be vaccinated. Much like the abortion debate, bodily autonomy must be respected and if a parent decides to not vaccinate their child their freedoms should allow them to do so. However, if a child is un-vaccinated I think they should not be allowed to attend public school and the private schools even if they cite religious or ideological differences as a reason for not vaccinating. It is not only dangerous for a child to not be vaccinated but more importantly, herd immunity must be considered. Those whose immune systems are too weak such as the elderly, infants, those with certain diseases, etc rely on everyone else being vaccinated to protect them. If unvaccinated children attend public school, they are putting these individuals at greater risk and in general risk many diseases we thought were gone to return and possibly evolve.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rojean that the government shouldn't be able to force vaccinations as it would be unconstitutional to do so, but it should still be promoted as a healthy way. In addition, I believe that kids as young as 10 should be able to decide for themselves whether to stay unvaccinated or not if they are in deed unvaccinated. I believe that unvaccinated children and teens not being allowed outside for 30 days is a bit harsh but I do believe there should be a curfew for them. It is basically making them go under house arrest when they didn't choose to be unvaccinated, and I believe there should be a certain curfew. The government should intervene short of forcing parents such as offering more benefits to those who vaccinate children.
ReplyDeleteI think that parents should not be able to control whether a child is able to get a vaccination. Research has proven and cleared conspiracy surrounded around vaccines, so their should not be many reasons to not vaccinating. However, there are some exceptions to it such as allergic reaction, which may need to be considered in the process. I agree with Rojean that the government enforcing vaccinations would likely exceed constitutional powers. I think that the ban on teens and children in public places should continue since they would be more vulnerable to exposure to potential diseases. Compared to others that may be vaccinated, they may succumb to illnesses or be severely harmed in an otherwise preventable issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree that safety of children in public places such as school is a high priority and that requiring children to receive a vaccination does infringe of their right to religion, yet this puts a greater number of children at risk and raises the chances of an outbreak occurring. With the ban of children and teens not being allowed in public places, this inhibits children from attending school and all children have the right to education. I think that children in public schools should be required to receive vaccinations to prevent outbreaks such as this one. One unvaccinated child can spread to the entire population of an area in a short period of time just because they were not vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteI think that in the duration of the 30 days, parents will realize what they are doing is unwise and vaccinate their children. I know that requiring people to get a vaccine is kind of pressuring, but it's actually important if they have the opportunity to get the shot since others can't. The outbreak, to me, sounds like people are not taking the advantage of having the ability to get a shot so that themselves and their own family don't have to worry about getting sick. Parents do have the right whether or not they want their children to take the shot, but the outbreak is getting worse just from their actions.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the parents should be forced to vaccinate their children, however I think the the children should be educated when they are old enough to understand and should be able to make the decision for themselves. I agree with the other comments that 30 days is quite harsh, especially for children. I don't think that after the 30 days they should continue to be forced to stay inside, but should have a medical check in. I don't think that there is anyway for the government to have parents be forced to vaccinate their children. It borders unconstitutional and there are some medical reasons for why a child may be unvaccinated. I believe that when the child comes of age, it should be their decision whether or not to get vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteVaccinations are an important and must go route for children. Children who do not get vaccinated should not be allowed to be attend school. People who don't want to face the risk of getting sick are not given a choice since they are forced to sit in a room with anti-vaxx kids. There is no way that the government can stop this, however doing so infringes on all ethical thinking.
ReplyDeleteI do think that vaccinations are important and children and their parents should be highly encouraged to get one. However, I don't think that all vaccinations should be forced. I believe if the illness or disease poses a major health threat or if the condition is highly contagious, it should be mandatory. I don't think that less urgent conditions need vaccinations. However, I believe that programs that emphasize the importance of and encourage vaccinations could be helpful and effective.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should only be allowed to enforce vaccinations in very dangerous cases such as the one mentioned in this article. Although I feel like vaccinating your children assures them greater safety in the future, I do understand that some parents are skeptical about what doctors impose on their children if they don't have extensive knowledge about the vaccine. However, in a case like this where so many people are at risk, I think that the government should enforce vaccinations because the consequences of leaving a child unvaccinated can create more chaotic situations involving other children, doctors, and the community as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI think that having your children vaccinated is very important because it is not only protecting your child, but also the general public from serious illnesses that are fatal. However, I do think that Rockland County in New York doing so is definitely violating a person's basic rights stated in the constitution, which technically legally shouldn't be allowed. There is just no way to force people to get vaccinated but the government should try its best to promote the benefits of vaccinations rather than forcing it upon those who are unvaccinated by fining etc.
ReplyDeleteI think that vaccinating children is very important because it protects the children and the public from illnesses. I believe children should be vaccinated until they are old enough to consent and decide whether or not they want to be vaccinated. The government cannot force citizens to vaccinate their children, but as Grace said earlier, they should promote the benefits of vaccination and teach parents that vaccinating your children does not cause autism.
ReplyDeleteThis is another example which emphasizes the importance of getting your child vaccinated. It is a threat to those around the unvaccinated children, as the illness could evolve into a vaccine resistant strain. This would lead to a catastrophic increase in the number of people affected. Although I understand some parents are worried about the chemicals in the vaccines, it is far more dangerous to leave your child in danger of catching these deadly infectious diseases.
ReplyDeleteParents whose children are under the age of 18 should have complete control over whether their child gets vaccinated or not. Children are children and not adults, so they cannot make serious decisions for themselves yet. That being said, I also believe the government should implement a law that requires all parents to get their kids vaccinated. This law would protect not only that child's health, but also the health of the community. The legislation should only be extended if the measles outbreak does not subside. However, in reality it's hard to bar unvaccinated young kids and teens from the public because of the impossibility of knowing if someone is vaccinated or not. I think measures should be taken by the government to punish parents who haven't vaccinated their kids for whatever reason besides inability to access.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if government enforcement of vaccinations are a violation of one's constitutional rights, and to the government should not be able to impose mandates regarding vaccination. Regardless of government intervention, it is careless for parents to threaten the lives of other children due to their beliefs, and so there should be strong recommendations in support of vaccination. In some cases, many unvaccinated children should not be able to attend school as they pose a severe risk for other students.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should be allowed to penalize people who do not vaccinate their children. Not being vaccinated puts the people around you at risk so by not being vaccinated you harming others. It has been medically established that not being vaccinated causes more harm than good for individuals who can have vaccines, so there is absolutely no reason why people should not be vaccinated. In term of religious reasons, we don't let people put other people at danger because of their religion. We don't let people hurt other people because of their religion, so this is no different. Getting vaccinated should not be a choice if you want to live in the public space.
ReplyDeleteWhile the government can not directly force parents to vaccinate their children, there should definitely be punishments for parents who choose not to. These parents are not only placing their own children at risk because of their lack of scientific understanding, but also compromising their community's herd immunity. This places immunocompromised individuals and newborns, all of whom can't receive vaccinations, at greater danger as well. While religious freedom is important, requiring vaccinations does not inherently infringe on the right to believe in any religion, and in nearly all cases, does not prevent the practice of any particular religion. Any such religious practices that do require members to actively avoid vaccination should not be legally tolerated because it endangers other members of society.
ReplyDeleteSince many of the reasons against vaccination lies in religious beliefs, I believe that it is unconstitutional for governments to require vaccination, as it infringes upon one's right to religion. However, being that vaccination ties to the health of many other individuals, I think it's only fair that those who choose to not vaccinate their children must accept the consequences of their choice and barr their children from the public. Having unvaccinated children out in the public could potentially spread the disease to other children and potentially kill them. I don't think it's fair for others to bear the consequences of one's choice, thus it's only right for these parents to bear the consequences and bar their unvaccinated children from public areas for the greater good and maximized fairness.
ReplyDeleteI think after the initial 30 days of implementation for the current legislation banning unvaccinated children and teens the legislation should still be continued. The described measles outbreak is a threat to public safety and should be controlled; hence, the legislation should be continued until the outbreak dies down. This would prevent the outbreak from exploding out of control. I don't think the government can ensure that parents approve their children to get vaccinated, unless the government forcefully mandates vaccinations. However, this may infringe on religious beliefs and cause all sorts of other problems, which makes it an unlikely option.
ReplyDelete