By Marcella Piper-Terry, Founder of VaxTruth.
When people talk about childhood vaccinations, it becomes almost immediately apparent that this discussion is not one that is likely to be had calmly. I believe that’s because there are basically three “camps” – or three different types of individuals who are likely to engage in this kind of discussion. The first “camp” is the “Official” one. Those who represent this camp are often doctors, nurses, and other “public health officials.” This camp is also represented by the CDC, AAP, and other organizations such as “Every Child By Two.” From the perspective of those in the “Official” camp, vaccines are safe. The argument that is used to prove vaccines are safe is basically, “Because we said so and we are the experts.”
The other two “camps” are composed mostly of parents and grandparents; though admittedly there are some organizations that could be lumped into these groups, as well. VaxTruth, for example, is just one such organization. VaxTruth, like many of the other organizations that are lumped in with the parents, differs from the “Official” groups in that we make no money from either the sale of vaccines or from any other sources related to vaccine uptake: whether it is higher or lower makes no difference to our financial bottom lines. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, we can talk about the remainder of the population who have opinions that are strong enough for them to weigh in, when it comes to vaccines.
