13 votes

Measles cases at highest for twenty years in Europe, as anti-vaccine movement grows

4 comments

  1. [3]
    Hypersapien
    Link
    Anyone who refuses to get their kids vaccinated for any reason other than doctor-mandated medical necessity (some people have actual negative reactions to them) needs to have their kids forcibly...

    Anyone who refuses to get their kids vaccinated for any reason other than doctor-mandated medical necessity (some people have actual negative reactions to them) needs to have their kids forcibly vaccinated by the state and vaccinated (and possibly removed from the parents' custody), for the sake of the kids and everyone else.

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      mb3077
      Link Parent
      Vaccination should be mandatory in every country, it's not a question anymore at this point. I think that's a bit too extreme, there could be parents who are gullible, uninformed and uneducated...

      Vaccination should be mandatory in every country, it's not a question anymore at this point.

      (and possibly removed from the parents' custody)

      I think that's a bit too extreme, there could be parents who are gullible, uninformed and uneducated that are otherwise good people.

      The problem lies with scientific illiteracy and the spread of misinformation in social media (which is a product of older people putting too much trust in social media and the internet).

      4 votes
      1. Hypersapien
        Link Parent
        I said "possibly". It would depend on other matters, like what specifically the refusal to vaccinate stems from. I wouldn't endorse removal from parents that are merely gullible. I would require...

        I said "possibly". It would depend on other matters, like what specifically the refusal to vaccinate stems from. I wouldn't endorse removal from parents that are merely gullible. I would require some basic science classes on the subject, though.

  2. patience_limited
    (edited )
    Link
    At a more abstract level, this is a collective security problem (I've got those on my mind today), with an increasing proportion of free-riders who are unwilling to bear any cost/risk....

    At a more abstract level, this is a collective security problem (I've got those on my mind today), with an increasing proportion of free-riders who are unwilling to bear any cost/risk. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5498765/pdf/ypgh-111-200.pdf (BTW, the "solution" proposed in this paper is awful - it's one thing to make an adult responsible for the costs of their decision, but the paper effectively endorses refusing to pay for the care of sick children.)

    When the costs/risks involve children, it's ridiculously easy to downplay the benefits (who understands statistics, anyway?) and overplay the risks. Hardly anyone has to be coerced to accept a benefit, but no one wants to be arm-twisted into accepting a nebulous, seemingly vast risk to their children, even when the widespread benefit of collective protection is massive.

    3 votes