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Should parents be able to pick and choose which vaccinations their kids get?

Posted January 22, 2009 by Tommi Lewis Tilden

When going out to dinner with other parents, I've learned to avoid two topics that can cause arguments, embarrassment and the dissolution of friendship. One is politics and the other is infant vaccination. If a parent is anti-vaccination and you're not, they'll fight you to the death to convince you they're right, and vice versa. I even know parents who lie about whether their kids have been vaccinated to avoid being ostracized by the other side.

Before my son was born I knew I had to figure it out for myself, so I dutifully conferred with Dr. Jay Gordon, a holistically-inclined baby doc to the stars. Thought I admit to being fan-struck when I saw family photos of superstars on Dr. Gordon's office bulletin board, what really sold me was his vaccination approach: conservative, safe and thorough. This meant he was willing to dole out all the recommended shots to my son, but not before discussing the pros and cons about each first, then letting me make the final call.

I said yes to the MMR (measles), DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis), Hib (haemophilus influenzae type b), IPV (polio), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and MCV4 (bacterial meningitis) vaccines. But no to the hepatitis B shot because as Dr. Gordon advises: "It does a very good job of preventing hepatitis B, but it also hits the immune system pretty hard and possibly creates autoimmune problems."  I decided that since my son, Robert, was not currently at risk for cirrhosis of the liver, chronic liver disease and liver cancer, it wasn't worth the chance. Not a choice for everyone, however, because when Robert entered kindergarten, I needed Dr. Gordon to sign a waiver since Hep B was on the school's required shot list.

I also said no to the Varicella (chicken pox) shot, deciding that immunizing naturally (getting the disease from another kid) would be preferable. But Robert didn't get it, so when he turned 10, he was immunized because I knew the disease could wreak havoc in older kids. As a child, I had the measles, mumps and chicken pox and affectionately remember days home from school being waited on by my mom. On the other hand, my friend Audrey never got the chicken pox and, not wanting to risk her own adult outbreak, had her twins immunized.

If actress Jenny McCarthy had her way, we would "Green Our Vaccines,"  her slogan for her movement to eliminate toxins from the recommended shots. McCarthy, mom to a 6-year-old autistic son and author of her latest, Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds, also wants to regulate a mandatory vaccine schedule because there are "too many, too soon."

Another actress squares off against McCarthy in this heated debate.  Last year, Amanda Peet told Cookie magazine: "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites." Peet, who is a spokesperson for "Every Child by Two," an awareness campaign encouraging parents to immunize kids by age 2, says she was once torn about vaccinations. Many of her friends were opting out, fearing they caused autism and other disorders. So Peet went to work online, researching sites such as the World Health Organization, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"What became clear was that scientists around the world clearly refuted any connection between vaccines and autism or other disorders," Peet wrote in a message. "Most importantly, I learned that delaying vaccines could jeopardize our baby's life."

Perhaps Peet's wisest comment came when she appeared on ABC's Good Morning America last August: "My main message to parents is that they should not be taking medical advice from me or any other celebrity. They should look to their pediatrician, the AAP, and other experts."

Now there's a shot of truth.

Tommi Lewis Tilden is the mom of one and founding editor of Disney Adventures magazine for kids and a former TEEN Magazine editor-in-chief. She writes about the environment, kids, parenting and Hollywood, and teaches high school journalism. 

Your turn: What's your vaccination policy for your kids?

More about the vaccine debate:

How to Talk to Your Pediatrician about Vaccines

Most U.S. Kids Now Vaccinated Against Chicken Pox

Just Shoot Me: A Doctor's Opinion about Vaccines

When Parents Opt out of Vaccines

A Shot in the Dark: Another Look at Vaccines