4 Arguments of Proponents of Mandatory Vaccinations

Proponents of mandatory vaccinations say the drugs are based on research and help children and adults remain safe from diseases.

Here are four arguments used by supporters of mandatory vaccinations.

1. Community Benefits
Vaccines protect children in more vulnerable communities where the spread of contagious diseases often remains a threat, proponents say.

In California, a state with great geographic and cultural diversity, lawmakers supported one of the nation's toughest mandatory vaccination laws, requiring public and private school children to be immunized against 10 childhood illnesses, The Guardian noted. The vaccines would be a condition for at-tending school, a harsh requirement that angered vaccine critics.

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2. Scientific Research
Some argue that vaccines rely on the best of science, rather than myth or conjecture.

Whether vaccine critics are moved to change their minds is a different story, noted researchers at Dartmouth College, who studied whether offering solid scientific information was enough to encourage parents to vaccinate their children for measles, mumps and rubella. While parents were inclined with guidance to realize that such a shot likely does not cause autism (a common myth), "it still decreased the intention to vaccinate children among parents who viewed vaccinations least favorably,” The Washington Post said.

"These results suggest that correcting vaccine myths may not be an effective approach to promoting vaccination," the au-thors of the study, published in Vaccine, noted.

3. Safey
Long-term studies have determined that most vaccines have proved to be safe and effective. They go through rigorous testing and many trials before they are licensed by the Food and Drug Administration and before they ever make it to the marketplace in the United States for public use. History has shown that disease rates drop when vaccines are licensed, according to vaccines.gov.

4. Efficacy
While no vaccine has proven perfect, those typically given to children have produced immunity about 90 percent to 100 percent of the time, vaccines.gov said.

This article is for information only and is not intended as medical advice. Talk with your doctor about your specific health and medical needs.

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