I’ll write a full response later because I’m in transit but of course not. My intention behind that statement was to speak directly to people who don’t understand why someone would be hesitant to administer vaccines. Doctors tend to give the utmost compassion to people who have phobias and to people who have disorders like OCD, but they are reluctant to show compassion for people who have vaccine-related fears. Vaccine-related fears are absolutely not the only reason people opt out of vaccines, and I recognize that. But it’s a big factor for many people.

Certainly you have done ample research — and like you said, this is a decision that you can’t reverse. Is there no fear whatsoever? If you had no fear, you would throw your hands in the air and say “inject whatever you want!” My point is… you’re not doing this research because you want to annoy your doctor, or make a political gesture… you’re doing it because you are worried about what could happen if you make the wrong choice.

Thank you for such a detailed response. I wrote this in response to a handful of measles stories that I read, but if you read closely, I was pretty careful not to share my own experiences. I wanted to make this something that speaks directly to anyone who thinks “anti-vaxxers” don’t care about their kids.

I do believe I should finesse the wording of a few lines, though, and I thank you for pointing that out.

Okay — more when I’m in front of a computer.