I have had Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” in my head since yesterday. I blame Kim’s post.

This isn’t news, but the debate on the H1N1 vaccine is bringing the vaccine debate up again (as in, the typical baby through childhood vaccines, not the flu vaccines). I will be blunt: if you do not vaccinate your child, you are not only an idiot, you are a selfish idiot.  A lot of people say that vaccines aren’t neccesary because the diseases they protect against aren’t around anymore. These people have no understanding of how herd immunity works, or worse, they don’t care. Also, because diseases like polio have been latent (and yes, they are just latent. You get enough crazies to stop vaccinating and these disease WILL come back) people have forgotten just how horrible they are.  This is a good article on the subject.

The vaccines-cause-autism soapbox is ridiculous. I also think that autism is incredibly overdiagnosed, but that is another post, and I can probably get enough hate from the vaccine comments alone.

Little, unvaccinated, germ carrying children are a threat to the small population of people that cannot be vaccinated due to compromised immune systems. With a vaccinated population, this small percent is generally safe. But if the crazy anti-vaccine-ists get there way, we will probably see an influx of previously “eliminated” diseases. If the only threat was to the individuals who chose not to get vaccinated, I would say go ahead, Darwin will take care of most of you, but unfortunately, the crazies do not exist in a bubble.

It’s probably somewhat un-libertarian to hold this position (the idea that the government should be able to require vaccination and therefore, the government prevents you from being stupid). I don’t, for example, feel the same about seatbelt laws. Sure, seatbelts save lives, but I don’t think there’s any point in the government requiring you to wear one,(Though I’d be hard pressed to find the HARM in the government requiring your to wear one too) because an idiot choosing to get thrown against their windshield does not hurt me. Your disgusting little disease vector children can though.

(Well, not me personally. I’m vaccinated, because my parents aren’t idiots. And no, I don’t have a problem with calling people who don’t vaccinate idiots. I don’t have respect for the position because it is tantamount to child abuse)