The Eff am I Doing?

I think we can both try to meet parents who fall for anti vaccine bullshit where they are (rather than condescend to them), but also until they get there, they should not be allowed to take their child to places like schools and daycares where other people’s children are who may be too young to vaccinate, immunocompromised, legitimately allergic to the ingredients of a particular vaccine, or otherwise have real medical reasons for not vaccinating. A big part of why vaccine desistance rates are rising is because “not vaccinating” is treated in much of the USA and other countries that have issues with this like a lifestyle choice, just another option in parenting, akin to attachment parenting or something — unlike some other things that do get CPS called on you, like other ways of deliberately sickening your child. There are countries and even US states that don’t allow any non-medical* exemptions to school vaccination requirements — not ideological, not religious, not anything — and even in this age of internet conspiracy nonsense radicalizing people everywhere, they have the highest vaccination rates (and IIRC they’re not all wealthy places! so it’s regardless of other factors). Because parents who are anti-vaxx-curious get that door slammed in their faces before they can go too far down the rabbit hole. Religious minorities who are weird about vaccination have long had to make do with their own schools or homeschooling because their “religious liberty” isn’t seen as more important than everyone else’s right to not get sick, and people with non-religious ideological “objections” to it (which frankly, as an agnostic, I don’t think a society with true religious freedom should treat as separate from religious beliefs about something like this) can do the same. You can take your time to learn how epidemiology works and how Wakefield is taking advantage of your real and understandable panic over your kid missing developmental milestones to lie to and fleece you, but in the meantime, your ignorance shouldn’t be able to put other innocent children, whose only “fault” is being too young or too disabled, at risk of deadly preventable disease! Just like with refusing to take your sick kid to the hospital or malnourishing them! I really really don’t think setting a hard firm line with school and childcare vaccination requirements is incompatible with compassion toward parents who fall for anti-vaxx propaganda — and like with certain other things that the rest of the world does like “gun control” and “sensible regulations on homeschooling,” we know that because plenty of other places do it and it works fine, and in fact way better than the system America (and not even all of America in this case!) insists is somehow the only way!

Peeps in extreme temperatures, plain water is NOT the only way to stay hydrated and can in fact be more dangerous if you're sweating a lot and not putting more electrolytes back into your body.