Vaccinations.Anyone tried the religious exemption?will it work if you've already received some vaccination

Question

I'm a new mom, who wants nothing but the best for her child. I have heard that vaccinations were not good-I mean why expose someone to a disease/infection if they are healthy? On the other hand, I have had many vaccinations throughout my lifetime and I seem to be doing fine. So, I went to get my son vaccinated with only half of my heart telling me to follow through with it. The other half was pounding so loud against it. In addition, I felt pressured to do the vaccines because we are in the military and the military mandates it. It was only after the vaccination proceedures were done that I found these exemptions. I wish I had known about them sooner. All I know is that I don't want to expose my son to any more vaccinations. I just want to know if it will be possible for me to carry out the plan of using the religious exemption considering that my son has already received some vaccinations due to my lack of research. Also, do you know of any other ways to avoid vaccinations

Answer 1

Ok. I started to write an answer to this question, and then I went back and read some of your previous responses. There is one response in particular that touched a nerve.

BabyRN said:
"Please don't listen to the anti-vax contingent. I am a nurse so I know what not vaccinating can do to kids. "

This is the TYPICAL response from most people who are in the medical profession. Doctors and nurses alike. "I know because I am a doctor/nurse... Just trust me.

There are 2 sides to every story. Everything about vaccinations isn't all sweet and nice. Why shouldn't she hear the other side? Because only your side is valid? If her child is one of the children who have a bad reaction, are YOU going to care for him/her for the rest of their life? Are you going to financially support them? NO. You aren't. Only the parents are. So what is so bad about letting parents make up their own mind? Why are parents only allowed to listen to you and not the "anti-vax contingent"? Because you are a nurse? Please! Being a nurse doesn't make you god.

I'm sorry if this post sounds harsh. I do not mean it to come out that way. I am just tired of hearing closed-minded doctors and nurses (and others) talk about adverse reactions as if they dont even exist. They do exist! And they are not as unlikely as the medical community would like people to believe.

Here are some FACTS:

You need to research the risks of EACH vaccine and EACH disease. Then, compare the two. Also, you should look at the chances of your child actually catching the disease. As Ellie mentioned... Polio is so rare. You have more chances that your child will have a bad reaction to the vaccine than actually catching Polio... How about chicken pox? I remember when I was a child and the vaccine for chicken pox did not exist. Chicken Pox was not a big deal back then. It was considered a good thing if we got it at a young age. This would provide lifelong, natural immunity. All of a sudden, there is this huge fear of chicken pox. And now many schools are "requiring" the chicken pox vaccine. It's not worth it in my opinion. I can go on...

Then you have to also remember that vaccines are not 100% effective. So, if you do decide to vaccinate, not only do you have to worry about side effects from the vaccines, but you also have to worry about catching the disease. Here is a recent case where a fully immunized child died of Meningococcal B.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10395401

In this recent article, the Polio vaccine actually CAUSED a Polio outbreak!
http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=3062&language=1

How can they claim that the Polio Vacine is the reason why Polio is basically non-existent when the vaccine is the actual CAUSE of the disease itself. They are causing outbreaks of the disease that they are supposed to be protecting us from!

The CDC has a program called VAERS (The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). Most people don’t even know that this website exists because doctors and nurses usually don’t mention it.

Here is a link to a search criterion that I entered. This search will show you children between the ages of 0 to 5years of age who have had reverse reactions to the MMR vaccine. You can see how many results came up "Found 28866 records with From age '0' and To age '5' and Vaccine contains 'MMR'" You will have to scroll down quite a bit to see the data. It shows you the vaccines that were given, and the reactions. It shows you the age of the vaccinated patient as well.

If you want to run your own search, you can just go to the bottom of the page and click on "New Search" - Remember... This info is coming straight from the CDC. These are FACTS that you just cant argue with.

http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?LOWAGE=0&HIGHAGE=5&SEX=&STATE=&PRIOR_VAX=&VAX_DATE_LOW=&VAX_DATE_HIGH=&CUR_ILL=&VAX=&VAXDOSE=&VAXMAN=&VAXROUTE=&VAXLOT=&VAXSITE=&ONSET_DATE_LOW=&ONSET_DATE_HIGH=&REPORT_DATE_LOW=&REPORT_DATE_HIGH=&SYMPTOMS=&HISTORY=&L_THREAT=&ER_VISIT=&DIED=Yes&HOSPITAL=&DEATH_DATE_LOW=&DEATH_DATE_HIGH=&X_STAY=&RECOVD=&LAB_DATA=&DISABLE=&OTHER_MEDS=&V_ADMINBY=&V_FUNDBY=&PAGENO=1&PERPAGE=10

To those people who say that the side effects are minimal. Just look through that database. Then, tell me that the side effects are minimal.

If you decide not to vaccinate from this point on, then you really need to educate yourself. Learn the diseases. Learn treatments for these diseases. Live a healthy lifestyle. Keep your family's immune system functioning to the max. Vitamins, Minerals, whole foods are key. Most of these diseases are not as dangerous as they make them seem.

You will hear many points of view from many different people. You should do your own research. And come to your own conclusion. Once you make your decision, you need to stand strong.

I wish youand your family the best!

Answer 2

Stand strong in your choice momma! The pressure is so huge to just "go with the flow" but you do have a choice.

Yes, you CAN take the religious exemption, even if your child has already had some vaccinations. You have freedom to practice your religious beliefs in this country, without being given the third degree about them. You do not have to belong to any certain religion, your beliefs are your own personal business.

Some states also have a philosophical exemption.
All states have a medical exemption, but you can only get that if your child has already had a life-threatening reaction to a vaccine, or someone in your immediate family has a history of life-threatening vaccine reaction. Both of which are more common I might add, than actual cases of the most commonly vaccinated-for diseases.

If you would like to talk about vaccine related issues in a less hostile environment, you may want to check out the Mothering magazine website.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions

I was like you when my first was born. I felt deep down that injecting SO MANY things all at once was not right, but I had not researched and was not confident enough in myself to speak up.
http://www.909shot.com/

My fourth child has not had any shots (he's a perfect healthy 4 yo) and we may opt to get him some, but it will be done ONE at a time, so that if he has a reaction we will know which one caused it. That's impossible to know when the baby gets 3 different pokes at once, and each one contains multiple vaccines. We don't introduce solid foods that way, why give vaccines that way?

Answer 3

Stick to your guns and don't be scared by the previous posters. If someone tells you that you should be vaccinating, ask them exactly which shots they recommend and why. I bet most people won't even be able to tell you the names of the vaccines or the diseases that they supposedly protect against. Polio hasn't been seen in the US in over 20 years, why do you need that vaccine? And now they have a Chicken Pox vaccine... rediculous. Getting chicken pox itsself immunizes against getting shingles as an adult. I could go on and on. Often the risk of the vaccine itsself is worse than the risk of the disease.

We are currently researching vaccines ourselves and will most likely selectively vaccinate, and start later rather than earlier. And definately get them seperately so that if your child does have a reaction you know which vaccine caused it.

As for religous exemption, I believe you can use it even if you have partially vaccinated. Also, they cannot ask you which religion you are, etc. that is seriously illegal. I believe each state is a little different on these laws, so continue to look into it. I suggest browsing the vaccination forum on Mothering.com here:http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=47 you can post this question there and ask about your specific state. Also read the book "Vaccine Guide: Risks and Benifits for Children and Adults" :http://www.amazon.com/Vaccine-Guide-Benefits-Children-Adults/dp/1556434235/sr=8-1/qid=1157556911/ref=sr_1_1/103-3360516-9233463?ie=UTF8&s=books It clearly goes through each vaccine with pros and cons of the vaccine, side effects of the vaccine, and risks of the disease or illness itsself. Very helpful. The source listed below is a page FULL of articles about vaccines, and is an excellent resource.

Answer 4

Please don't listen to the anti-vax contingent. I am a nurse so I know what not vaccinating can do to kids. Your son will be at risk for not only all the other diseases out there, but also ones that have been nearly eradicated or are very uncommon. I'm a mom of three and I know it's hard to see them poked over and over but if you want to, you can stretch out the vaccine schedule, you don't have to follow it to the letter. Also, don't ever take him when he's sick, make sure he is well when getting vaxed.

Contrary to some misinformation below getting chicken pox does not "vaccinate" you against getting shingles. If that were true than no one over the age of 15 would have gotten shingles since the chicken pox vaccine was just introduced recently! Some pediatricians will refuse to care for non-vaxed kids so be sure you find a pediatrician who goes along with your plan.

I do not know if you can claim a religious exemption all of a sudden, I suppose you could have just converted to whatever religion states you cannot be vaccinated (Jehovah's Witness? Christian Scientist?)

Answer 5

Is vaccinating your son truly against your religion, or are you using that as an excuse? If so, I imagine that would be considered a sin.

At the risk of sounding harsh, if your son contracts polio he won't need any more vaccinations because he could die from it. Yes, I realize it's not a common disease in the U.S. (assuming you're in the U.S.) but it IS still around and that's why doctors continue to vaccinate against it. If he contracts Hepatitis B, while it won't necessarily kill him now, he could have chronic Hepatitis B, and be succeptible to cirrhosis, liver cancer, etc.

While doing research when deciding to have my own children vaccinated (I was already planning to, but I just wanted to read up on the "what-ifs" that could happen), I found that the benefits to vaccinating your children FAR outweigh the risks. The chance of a child contracting Hepatitis, Polio, Measles, etc. if not vaccinated is almost guaranteed, while the chance of him becoming autistic from the ingredients in the vaccines is so incredibly rare, it almost never happens.

Answer 6

I'd seriously consider this decision. Vaccinations were created to prevent horrible diseases. Yes, some children may have slight reactions to them but if you've seen children who have died or been seriously affected by polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough etc. you'd probably not question the wisdom of prevention. Look at today's third-world countries and decide if that's really what we should be aiming for. Also diseases that generally do not seriously affect children, such as rubella, can cause birth defects if contracted by pregnant women.

Answer 7

Vaccinations are so your child won't get diseases. Why wouldn't you want him to get immunized?

Without vaccinations, your child will be at risk for smallpox, polio, mumps, measles, german measles, pneumonia, meningitis, whooping cough, tetanus, diptheria. Children need and deserve immunization.