A New Method for Dealing with Ethical Issues in the area of Vaccines and Vaccination

People are influenced in a variety of ways when they come to make their choices about the vaccination of themselves or their dependents. Most are well aware that vaccines have led to major decreases in the disease challenge to which they are subjected. Some are also aware that there are small risks of acquiring illness or debilitation from being vaccinated. In general they decide on their and their children's vaccination regimens under the influence of health-care professionals who adopt an attitude that this is the normal and accepted way in which protection against infectious diseases is achieved – so it becomes the “done thing”. But this is not the case for everybody. A significant minority of individuals choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children. Of this group it is possible to identify a more active and crusading branch that seeks to impose its views on the general public by using the media and rallies to advocate their anti-vaccination views. People, who have what they believe are vaccine-damaged children, are amongst the most energetic of this rejectionist caucus.