Vaccine deferral - Monsey

tichellady

Fri, Aug 25 2017, 7:00 pm

[quote="amother"]A mother's feelings are not enough for who???? A mother's feelings are enough to decide when to take a child to the doctor, when to let them cross the street, when to let them stay home alone, but not enough to say "I don't think my child should be vaccinated??" Since when? What has become of this free country? We thankfully do not live in a dictatorship and a parent should and does have the right to decide what is best. A mother knows her child best and needs to protect her child.[/]

Actually in the US a parent does not always get to decide what's best for his/her child. There are rules about what a parent can or cannot do to a child. the government can take away parental rights if they feel that the parent is not acting in the best interest of the child. Obviously there is a balance between allowing parents to make their own parenting decisions and allowing the government to intervene, but I think we can all agree that there are times when vulnerable children should be protected from dangerous parents. Parents who have good intentions Sometimes need to be told that their decisions, even well meaning, can be harmful to their children. A parent who refuses to ever medicate their child because of distrust of the Pharma industry may mean well, but when the child dies from strep throat that the parent refused to treat, their other children may be taken away from them.

I think the recommendation to see a pediatric infectious disease doctor is a good one. Hopefully you can find a doctor that you trust and feel comfortable with.

amother

Amber

Sat, Aug 26 2017, 9:35 pm

[quote="tichellady"]

amother wrote:

A mother's feelings are not enough for who???? A mother's feelings are enough to decide when to take a child to the doctor, when to let them cross the street, when to let them stay home alone, but not enough to say "I don't think my child should be vaccinated??" Since when? What has become of this free country? We thankfully do not live in a dictatorship and a parent should and does have the right to decide what is best. A mother knows her child best and needs to protect her child.[/]

Actually in the US a parent does not always get to decide what's best for his/her child. There are rules about what a parent can or cannot do to a child. the government can take away parental rights if they feel that the parent is not acting in the best interest of the child. Obviously there is a balance between allowing parents to make their own parenting decisions and allowing the government to intervene, but I think we can all agree that there are times when vulnerable children should be protected from dangerous parents. Parents who have good intentions Sometimes need to be told that their decisions, even well meaning, can be harmful to their children. A parent who refuses to ever medicate their child because of distrust of the Pharma industry may mean well, but when the child dies from strep throat that the parent refused to treat, their other children may be taken away from them.

I think the recommendation to see a pediatric infectious disease doctor is a good one. Hopefully you can find a doctor that you trust and feel comfortable with.

OP did not say she is refusing to treat her kids with medical attention or refrain from using a doctor. She wants a doctor who will understand what many doctors are for some reason blind to... some children have co- infections or genetic mutations and should not be vaccinated as they react differently from the normal population.
As far as school, you can claim a religious exemption even if your child has previous vaccinations. It us upon the school to accept. There are schools in Monsey that accept them.

amother

Brown

Sat, Aug 26 2017, 11:12 pm

nylon wrote:

If this is for school, then no, a mother's feelings are not good enough. She needs a signed medical exemption. The doctor has to agree. There are times when a parent is concerned that a vaccine may be too much for a child, but doctors disagree.

I've had a doctor tell me explicitly that even if I had a child collapse into seizures from a vaccine with each time getting progressively worse, they would still insist the child continue to be fully vaccinated. The fact that doctors pretty much always say to vaccinate no matter what makes you realize you, as a mother, and only you, are able to do what's right by your kid.

Also, in my state (Michigan), the only legal medical exemption is for a child who has AIDS or currently undergoing chemo. That's it. He could have had 2 siblings drop dead from vaccines or himself needing hospitalization due to reactions from every single vaccine, but yet, these are not sufficient reasons for withholding vaccines in my state.

So, yeah, do whatever it takes. Religious exemption, whatever. Only a mother really knows, and only a mother is completely free from whatever brainwashing that was done to doctors where they look at a vaccine injured kid and say, "I don't see a vaccine injured kid! Nothing to see here folks!"

amother

Pink

Sun, Aug 27 2017, 1:17 am

Quote:

I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous. I work with multiple pediatricians and none of them would make a comment like that. I have seen kids get medical exceptions for true medical issues (conditions that were genetic, not caused by vaccines, but regardless got medical exemptions).

amother

Brown

Sun, Aug 27 2017, 11:07 am

amother wrote:

Quote:

But yet, my pediatrician told this to us.
And yet, in the State of Michigan, one cannot get medical exemptions but for 2 specific types of cases. Even with documentation of prior vaccine harm.

So the whole "if there is TRULY a need for a medical exemption, your doctor will grant it!" is simply false.

amother

Ivory

Sun, Aug 27 2017, 5:44 pm

amother wrote:

This is correct. Doctors rarely give medical exemptions. In my experience using multiple pediatricians (we moved), the doctors we used were ok with delaying vaccines and didn't push it. You can probably find a doctor who will be understanding of your child's circumstances. You'll be able to defer vaccines, however, you may not be able to obtain a medical exemption.

rydys

Sun, Aug 27 2017, 9:10 pm

amother wrote:

So she needs to find one who listens to her gut feelings and not one who will push her against her protective instinct.

rydys, as a doctor, you should be encouraging OP in listening to her motherly intuition.

If you notice what I wrote, I did not tell her whether or not to vaccinate her child. I am very pro-vaccine and work with my patients and their parents to vaccinate their children in whatever way is most comfortable for them. I have several non-vaccinating families and have NEVER forced anyone to vaccinate, although I will discuss their concerns and try to allay their fears.

I was simply addressing the issue of a physician writing a letter stating that a child cannot be vaccinated. I have written such letters for children who truly have immune issues that prevent them from being safely vaccinated.

However, my job as a physician is not to just do whatever the parent or patient wants. I am an objective observer with a deep understanding of medicine and many years of experience. When a patient comes to me I assume that they want me to pull on my knowledge and experience to help guide them. If they knew it all on their own, they would not need me.

A mother's instinct is very significant. In pediatrics, especially, we are trained to get to take our patients and parents instincts very seriously. I spend time getting to know my patients and their families so that I can incorporate their situations and beliefs into my decision making.

However, I still need to be objective and do what is right for the child. If a child has a true immune issue or other medical reason why he cannot be vaccinated, I would gladly write such a letter. However, parents are not objective (I take my own to a pediatrician rather than make my own decisions!) and as such cannot expect a doctor to write a letter of medical necessity based on the parent's feeling rather than objective evidence.