Should Non-Vaccinated Parents Be Sued?

[hwichlaz]

No. Vaccinations are an optional form of preventative medicine. They may be required for some jobs and to attend public school or daycare in some states, but they are not mandatory to exist. The only way to not contract a disease or illness is to basically live in a bubble. Trying to prove that someone else's medical choices were made with intent to harm others would be a tough sell when it comes to vaccines. Most people are choosing not to get them due to fear of what it will do to them or their kids, not to purposefully contract and spread disease, so I dont think lawsuits will do much, but I'm sure there is a lawyer out there willing to try!::

Right, nothing that has documented risk can be forced on people. That's not okay in any shape or form. Since there is an entire agency dedicated to compensating people for vaccine damage, no one can say it's without risk...so it cannot be forced.

[lblanke]

The parents of the young unvaccinated boy who almost died from teatnus refused additional immunizations for teatnus. His hospital bill was around $800.000. I wonder who is paying that bill.

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20190313/cdc-unvaccinated-oregon-boy-almost-dies-of-tetanus

[lblanke]

Should we refuse to allow unvaccinated citizens to travel to areas where preventable diseases are prevalent? Or refuse re-entry or require quarantine upon re-entry into the United States until after a waiting period slightly longer than the incubation period for whatever disease they may have been exposed to abroad?

[lblanke]

Many providers here refuse to take children who are "not a good fit" for whatever reason. Is it ethical for a doctor to refuse to have unvaccinated patients in his practice, citing "not a good fit," as the provider sees newborns and people with compromised immune systems. If a provider already has children with cancer in his or her practice, can they (or should they) refuse patients who refuse immunizations out of a duty to protect other patients already being seen in the practice whose health could be compromised? Should the provider require unvaccinated patients to wear PPE (masks, gown) even when asymptomatic during flu season to prevent the spread of disease to other patients?

[TwinKristi]

Considering the great lengths they’d have to go to geno-map a strain and prove which unvaccinated child spread it... and what if it’s a vaccinated child who spreads it or God forbid the live vaccine sheds and it’s actually FROM the vaccine?
There are way too many variables to put any legal liability on someone.

[Cat Herder]

Many providers here refuse to take children who are "not a good fit" for whatever reason. Is it ethical for a doctor to refuse to have unvaccinated patients in his practice, citing "not a good fit," as the provider sees newborns and people with compromised immune systems. If a provider already has children with cancer in his or her practice, can they (or should they) refuse patients who refuse immunizations out of a duty to protect other patients already being seen in the practice whose health could be compromised? Should the provider require unvaccinated patients to wear PPE (masks, gown) even when asymptomatic during flu season to prevent the spread of disease to other patients?

The difference between childcare providers and doctors is the duty to act. They can only mitigate risk, we can exclude it.

As a childcare provider, I am only required to report, advocate and provide a safe and nurturing environment. I am also further protected by my states laws of mandatory immunization for attendance in daycare/public schools. I am given the option of accepting waivers, but am not legally required.

[lblanke]

Some pediatric practices do refuse to accept into care (or drop from care) patients whose caregivers refuse immunizations, citing reasons that I have seen here as common reasons child care providers may terminate care 1) lack of trust in provider (some medial providers say that refusing to follow medical recommendations indicates a lack of trust in the recommendations of the medical provider) and 2) duty to protect other children in care. Interesting to see the correlation between early childhood care providers and pediatric practices, but not surprising. Many pediatricians are self-employed in private practice, just as many day care providers on this site are self-employed. Therefore, they can set the rules on whom they see in practice. I doubt many insurance companies will opt out of these practices considering the case above of the boy with teatnus. Immunization costs for their whole network were probably less than treating once case of teatnus in an unimmunized child.

[lblanke]

Upon reflection, this statement " Immunization costs for their whole network were probably less than treating once case of teatnus in an unimmunized child" is probably not , but the cost of immunizing is a fraction of the cost of treating the disease (realizing that not all immunized patients will get the disease).

[Cat Herder]

Timely news story: "A federal judge, citing an "unprecedented measles outbreak" in suburban Rockland County, New York, has denied a request to let 44 unvaccinated children return to school.On the same day, pediatric organizations expressed support for state legislation that would allow minors to get vaccinated without parental consent . " - https://www.wsbtv.com/news/national-...ZLuhsDg6UVc74o

[Blackcat31]

Timely news story: "A federal judge, citing an "unprecedented measles outbreak" in suburban Rockland County, New York, has denied a request to let 44 unvaccinated children return to school.On the same day, pediatric organizations expressed support for state legislation that would allow minors to get vaccinated without parental consent . " - https://www.wsbtv.com/news/national-...ZLuhsDg6UVc74o

I read this yesterday and thought of this thread but I think the story is a bit different since the argument in it is more about discrimination based on religion not so much about vaccinations.

The school says that the students will be allowed back into school when there are no outbreaks in the immediate area within 41 (?) days.

In this case, I believe it's about protecting those kids that are not vaccinated verses 'punishing' their parents for not vaccinating.

[ElianaBryson]

Actually it is parents fear of vaccination as vaccines dangers can never be 100% over rode. Here we need to work more upon making our pharmacology researches strong where we educate parents and increase specialized pharmacology professionals so that more improvements can be brought to the field instead of suing parents because that would make the offended. It is not harder to learn any field at-least not the basic understanding development. 1 year or 6 months short courses should be launched.

[Mom2Two]

I do not think that non-vaxers should be sued or that vaxing should be legislated. I would rather see education not legislation.

I also don't agree with excluding from group insurance, unless the group is actually organized to exclude certain things. There are sooooo many dangerous life styles. Should people who are obese or who have speeding tickets or don't eat enough fiber also be excluded?

I find the reasoning of this article disturbing. The existence of social pressure is a reason to make non-vaxing illegal? That's pretty flimsy imo.