{"id":478,"date":"2015-01-30T09:27:25","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T17:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/shekhinahcalling\/?p=478"},"modified":"2015-02-04T10:15:31","modified_gmt":"2015-02-04T18:15:31","slug":"please-vaccinate-your-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/shekhinahcalling\/2015\/01\/30\/please-vaccinate-your-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Please Vaccinate Your Children"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

UPDATE:<\/strong> I\u2019m starting to get comments from anti-vax folks which, in the interest of limiting the spread of false and misleading information, I won\u2019t be publishing. I\u2019m under no obligation to provide a platform for anti-vaxxers. (Also, here\u2019s a tip in case you come across misleading information elsewhere: if someone tells you \u201cthe World Heath Organization says that vaccines make your head explode\u2013look it up!\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not going to provide any links to my sources, because it\u2019s your job to do the research,\u201d then they are\u00a0bluffing.)<\/p>\n

Did you hear about the measles outbreak at Disneyland last month? There are now 87 confirmed cases from the Bay Area to Mexico. 30 babies have been placed in isolation<\/a> because they may have been exposed.<\/p>\n

Look, my witches. I like nature. I like holistic health. I like herbalism. I like vitamin D. I like oil pulling. I do yoga. I meditate. I practice magic, damn the stigma. I don\u2019t<\/em> like pharmaceuticals (although I take them when I need them\u2013for example, Wellbutrin). I don\u2019t like capitalism\u2013and, yes, the pharmaceutical industry does profit off of vaccines. I don\u2019t like the American healthcare system, which is profit-centered,\u00a0overly invasive, sexist, and racist (see, for example, the average hospital birth).<\/p>\n

\"vintage<\/a>
\u201cYou mean after this shot, I can\u2019t ever get smallpox? Like the virus can enter my body and STILL not make me sick? It\u2019s witchcraft, I tells ya!\u201d (image credit Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don\u2019t like getting shots. I don\u2019t like watching my daughter get shots. I don\u2019t like long lists of scary-sounding chemicals. I don\u2019t like trays full of syringes placed next to my infant\u2019s chubby\u00a0little leg. Yes, the emotional experience of vaccinating my child really sucks.<\/p>\n

But if you don\u2019t know a lot about vaccines and you\u2019re thinking your safest bet is\u00a0to opt out? Then the anti-vax movement is taking you for a ride.<\/strong> I don\u2019t know what the hell their motives are. Honestly, at this point they\u2019re probably just trying to save face; no one likes admitting that they were 100% wrong.<\/p>\n

Please, listen: being Pagan, embracing the beautiful irrationality of religious experience, delving into the natural health modalities of our ancestors\u2013these things don\u2019t mean that we have to reject solid science. And the science behind vaccines is solid.<\/strong>\u00a0It always has been. People in the Global South\u00a0would kill for the vaccines and herd immunity that wealthy Americans are so eager to throw away.<\/p>\n

I could explain all the reasons why vaccines are a good thing, but this comic does a fantastic job, so I\u2019ll just point you to it:<\/p>\n

Why vaccines work, in comic form!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I know that if you\u2019re dead set against vaccines, no amount of evidence will sway you (although if your preference\u00a0kills\u00a0someone else\u2019s child, they might sue you<\/a>, and rightfully so). So I\u2019m talking to those parents on the fence. Please, vaccinate your children. Trust me, it\u2019s safe, and completely worth it. As the mother of a vaccinated child in the middle of Anti-Vax Ground Zero, I know.<\/p>\n

Because what\u2019s more magical than being immune to deadly diseases?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please, listen: being Pagan, embracing the beautiful irrationality of religious experience, delving into the natural health modalities of our ancestors–these things don’t mean that we have to reject solid science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1913,"featured_media":479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[44,46,101,66,69],"class_list":["post-478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-vaccines","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nPlease Vaccinate Your Children<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Please, listen: being Pagan, embracing the beautiful irrationality of religious experience, delving into the natural health modalities of our ancestors--these things don't mean that we have to reject solid science.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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