Jenny McCarthy & Jim Carrey on Larry King Live

Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Anybody see this? The topic is autism (Jenny McCarthy's son is autistic). This topic inevitably comes round to immunizations - do they contribute to autism? It's definitely a hot topic but it's also a serious and costly disorder. But the immunization question is very polarizing.

I'll probably catch flack for this but my kids are not immunized. Only my oldest child (35) had some vaccinations before I became concerned about whether or not I wanted to do this. I do understand both sides of the issue, however, and I am sympathetic to people who are upset by unvaccinated children perhaps spreading disease. My kids are homeschooled so I feel better about my decision and how others might feel about it.

Anybody have any thoughts on all this?
 
I think that it is a parent's perogative to make these choices for their own children. I, too, understand both sides of the issue but I am not sure that I agree that vaccinations are not to blame for the increase in autism in some children. I wish more research would be done.
 
I think it's a personal choice. Both of my kids got immunized but only because they couldn't enter school without them and I wasn't smart about really looking at the whys. My youngest son (18) stopped getting whatever immunizations at about 10. They're constantly coming up with new immunizations and they don't even know if there are side effects to them. I don't really know if I had a kid now if I would get them immunized or not, but I sure would be reading up on it alot more and asking more questions.
 
Oh man, I'll stay out of this one for the most part.
Both my sons were immunized.
I have Christian Science relatives who were against it.
It's an individual choice I suppose.
This is very personal and respect to all opinions on the matter. :-)
 
Wow, I can't tell you how nice it is to hear someone say that they think it's something parents should ultimately decide for their children after careful consideration. Do you know that it's damn near impossible to find a pediatrician who will provide routine care for unvaccinated children?
 
Immunizations stop well known diseases. My aunt has Polio and walks humped over with a walker. She’s always in pain and severely distorted. A simple vaccine would have fixed that. :huh:
 
Sass Muffin said:
Oh man, I'll stay out of this one for the most part.
Both my sons were immunized.
I have Christian Science relatives who were against it.
It's an individual choice I suppose.
This is very personal and respect to all opinions on the matter. :-)
Click to expand...
I absolutely respect every parent's decision about this. I mean - it's our kids! Who better than us to make this decision for them? And I always thought I would probably at least partially vaccinate if my children had ever had to attend day care because the benefit would probably outweigh the risk in my mind.
 
Fisher's Mom said:
Do you know that it's damn near impossible to find a pediatrician who will provide routine care for unvaccinated children?
Click to expand...

Now that is something I never even thought of!
See, there is so much I didn't know and still dont' know. I never did much research but it just seems that every five years or so they come up with a new vaccine and don't really know the ins and outs of it but expect you to take their word for it and give it to your child.
 
most current studies show that the mmr vaccine and those containing thimerosal (the ones most closely associated with autism) have no causal relationship directly with autism.

recent studies comparing the number of autistic children before the time of these vaccines and after have proved as much, but with one caveat. certain children genetically pre-disposed to autism may have been affected by it.

so, the decision is whether to risk a myriad of very dangerous and contagious diseases on all of your and your neighbors' children, against the chance that your kid(s) may have his or her autism "triggered" (for lack of a better word).

just my 2 centavos.
 
I had all of the vaccination a child growing up when I did could get at that time. My children also got all the required ones as have their kids. No cases of autism in my family to date.

Now I've have followed this for a couple of years now but still haven't formed a decision as their just isn't enough hard scientific facts on it yet in my opinion to form a conclusion. Now as someone that has an uncle as well as myself at the same time that got polio as a kids. I was lucky in that my strain was non paralytic while his wasn't. I spent about a month in the hospital when I was about 6 years old while he was in an iron lung for about 3 years and now is a hunch back due to it. In my case I had no lasting effects as he has. The vaccine for polio came out 4 years after I had it and I'm sure that vaccines almost made it a non existent disease today. I also remember when if you got Tuberculoses the courts would committed you to a hospital as their really wasn't any treatments so you was quarantined. Today a short stay in the hospital with antibiotic treatments and most will get over it. So medicine has surely come a long way compared to my child hood.

There are other childhood illness that are on the up swing now such as asthma, autism, dubieties etc. so I sometimes wonder if it isn't the pollution filled world we live in more so than other factors. It might also be that most people are over medicated so their own immune systems do not function properly or form properly due to all of the antibacterial items on the market today. I know when I was a kid we played in the dirt and out doors not locked in a home all day due to fear of the outside world. All of these things could be factors in almost all disease.
 
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