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The world we live in today involves many ethical dilemmas that lead to a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right (ethical) or wrong (unethical). When it comes to our society, ethics is something that some people don’t take lightly, especially when it comes to their beliefs. In the healthcare industry, ethics is always taken into consideration. Our healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of health via prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, illnesses, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people.
Every day, patients, families and healthcare professionals face ethical and legal decisions. These difficult dilemmas may concern medical treatments, practices, hospital management and other matters that arise in the healthcare industry. The actions taken in ethical issues in healthcare clearly distinguish between what is right and wrong, and often, many of the actions taken today can have lasting effects on healthcare in the future. There are numerous ethical issues in today’s world and vaccine mandates in school entry will be my main topic.
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Immunizations are among the greatest achievements in public health. Vaccines reduce or eliminate the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, polio, whooping cough, and many others. The utilization of vaccines in public health initiatives is not without challenges, however. Ethical issues arise in every stage of vaccine development and deployment . In this essay, I will talk about the arguments that are against the issue, arguments that are for the issue, whether or not they are sound and valid, identify any arguments that are in form of fallacies, and my opinion on this ethical issue.
The start of immunizations dates back to 1796, where Edward Jenner conducted an experiment where he scratched an 8-year-old boys arm using material from a cowpox sore.
He then repeated the same experiment, but this time he added a small amount of smallpox into the same child. The experiment resulted in the child becoming immune to the deadly smallpox infection and this is when the immunization age began. However, nowadays, parents are starting to lean more towards the refusal of vaccinations to protect their children from harmful ingredients inside the vaccine as well as the side effects it may cause. Another reason why parents refuse vaccinations for their children is because of their religious beliefs. Parental refusal of vaccines is a growing concern for the increased occurrence of vaccine preventable diseases in children. A number of studies have looked into the reasons that parents refuse, delay, or are hesitant to vaccinate their child or children. These reasons vary widely between parents, but they can be encompassed in four overarching categories. The four categories are religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from the healthcare providers.
One of the most common reasons parents opt out of vaccinations for their children stems from their religious beliefs. A study was conducted in New York State and found that the rate of school vaccination exemptions due to religious reason between 2000 and 2011 increased sharply. In response to this reality, lawmakers put in place guidelines that introduced requirements that mandated that in order for schools to grant religious exemption, the parents had to demonstrate their “genuine and sincere religious belief” that contradicted the use of vaccinations. There are also different religions and the reasons that vaccine may violate their religious tenets. The explanation most commonly offered for why specific vaccinations oppose religious tenets involves components of the vaccines. The animal-derived gelatin used in producing some vaccines as well as the human fetus tissue used in the rubella component pose the largest concerns. Because of the wide variety of religions in today’s society, everyones religious belief system varies as well.
Personal belief or philosophical reasons is another reason why parents don’t vaccinate their children. Some parents believe that natural immunity is better for their children than is immunity acquired through vaccinations. Other express the belief that if their child contracts a preventable disease, it will be beneficial for their child in the long term, as it will help make the child’s immune system stronger as he or she grows into adulthood. Some parents believe that the diseases for which we vaccinate are not very prevalent so their children are at minimal risk of contracting these diseases. They also believe that the possible negative side effects of vaccine administration outweigh the benefits of the vaccines. Then there are some parents who don’t see the preventable diseases as serious or life-threatening and would prefer not put extra chemicals into their children’s bodies. Other parents think if their child is healthy, they are at decreased risk of contracting preventable diseases. Everyone is entitled to their own belief system and their philosophical reasons.
Safety concerns is a big issue on why parents refuse vaccinations for their children. These concerns are based on information these parents have discovered in the media or received from acquaintances. All of this information can be overwhelming for some parents to sift through, making it difficult for them to make their own well-informed decision. Stories in the popular media, such as social media and large scale news outlets, are often sensationalized to elicit higher ratings and oftentimes spotlight a rare incident in which a child suffers as a result of an unforeseen side effect of a vaccine. Media that cite problems with components of vaccines such as thimerosal and report that vaccines can cause autism, brain damage, or behavioral problems cause parents to be more cautious and have more concerns regarding the safety of vaccines. Thimerosal, however, has been removed from those vaccines intended for children under 6 year of age over a decade now. Social media and the news is a place where a lot of people resort to for information, information that can be misleading or misinterpreted.
Parents desire for additional education regarding vaccinations. They want to be able to make informed decisions about their child’s healthcare by knowing both the benefits and the risks associated with each vaccine. Many parents desire to have more detailed information regarding the side effects and benefits associated with vaccines expressed in a factual way that does not appear to be trying to sway one way or the other regarding vaccinating their child. Educating the parents about vaccinations can be very beneficial so that they can be more informed on what goes on. It’s important for practitioners to have open and frank conversations with their patients and they families so that the families can have a better understanding of the benefits of vaccinations. Education and taking time with patients have been shown to result in modest improvement in terms of affecting parent’s attitudes about immunizations. This information will allow patients to have face-to-face access to reliable information that can help them to make the best decisions for their families.
In the article, “Why We Should Eliminate Personal Belief Exemption to Vaccine Mandates,' the authors state, “we argue that personal belief exemptions to the mandate for childhood immunizations should not be allowed. Parents who choose not to immunize their children are at risk because unimmunized children go to school or day care when they are contagious but asymptomatic, exposing many more children to potentially dangerous infections The risks to children from diseases are much higher than the risks of vaccines. There are, of course, some bona fide reasons why children are not immunized. Some children have known allergies or other medical contradictions to certain immunizations. Immunization refusals based on parental belief, however, do not fall into this category. In those cases, children are denied the protection of immunizations without any medical or scientific justification.
By eliminating personal belief exemptions to those childhood vaccines associated with contagious diseases that have high rates of childhood mortality, we would better protect children and would more fairly spread the burdens of this important public health program . Having vaccines mandated cannot only save your child’s life but it can also protect others around them. One of the benefits of vaccinations is herd immunity, also known as community immunity. Herd immunity refers to the protection offered to everyone in a community by high vaccination rates. With enough people immunized against a given disease, it’s difficult for the disease to gain a foothold in the community. This offers some protection to those who are unable to receive vaccinations. When community vaccination rates drop below the threshold of herd immunity, widespread disease outbreaks can occur. The threshold of herd immunity for polio, for example, is estimated to be between 80% and 86%; if the vaccination rate drops significantly below this level, the level of community protection may not be enough to prevent the disease from spreading. This is what happened in England when measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination rates dropped. In the late 1990s, MMR vaccination rates began to drop from more than 90% to 80% or lower. In response, the number of cases began to rise, while only 56 cases were confirmed in Wales and England in 1998, 1,348 were confirmed by 2008. A disease whose spread in the country had been halted more than a decade prior was once again endemic. It’s important to make sure young children are vaccinated especially when they go into school. If parents continue to refuse vaccinations for their children, it’s only a matter of time when the population of children without vaccines develop a disease that could have been prevented. I believe the only restriction for parents refusing vaccinations for their child is and only if the child is allergic to the vaccine or other medical issues to where they can’t.
In conclusion, vaccinations protect children from serious illnesses and complications of vaccine preventable diseases. Although vaccination has led to a dramatic decline, some of these infectious diseases can be brought back into the U.S. from other countries. Although parents don’t approve of vaccinations due to their beliefs, educating them on this topic can help them understand why it’s important for children to be vaccinated and not be as concerned.
The Actions Taken In Ethical Issues In Healthcare. (2024, Feb 27). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-actions-taken-in-ethical-issues-in-healthcare-essay
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