vaccines

[KiriAshra]

I thought that since you all are doing natural family planning to determine how many babies you have that maybe some of you would have a opinion about vaccines and other medical care.

My daughter just got her regular vaccines she needs to start school today. I felt like I didn't really have a choice in the matter though since her preschool requires she has them done.

When I got home I coincidently seen a article on a child from a Christian home that was very very sick. They did not and would not take her to the doctor because they said it was in God's hands. She ended up dying and the article said that she was suffering from extreme thirst and vomiting before she died. So she was pretty much in pain and at such a small age (I think she was between 2-4, I cant remember exactly) So her family used only the power of prayer when it could have easily been cured if she would have went to the doctor.

I get so confused about stuff like this. You should depend on the power of prayer but if my kid is really sick or has a really high fever I would never not go to a hospital.


So what are other's opinions about vaccines and health care.

 

[jgonz]

You've asked several questions in your post... I'll hit the ones that popped out at me first...

Quiverfull families typically do Not use any form of birth control (although I do know many who use NFP for certain situations).

Vaccinations are a highly controversial subject, that require a LOT of research. I, personally, do not trust the medical community when it comes to vaccinations, but that's My personal take on the whole subject. One of my boys was vaccine damaged, so my view is slanted. However one good website to start reading is: http://www.nvic.org/ Also, there are waivers for all 50 states, so you do not Ever "have to" do shots. You can also selectively vaccinate (pick & choose which ones you agree with). There Are some that are cultured in aborted fetal cells. Here is a site that deals with that: http://www.cogforlife.org/

Refusing medical care for a sick child is, IMO, a parental right. However some groups take that too far (also, IMO). There is a Scripture in Proverbs (that of course I can't remember at the moment) that basically says that if we don't seek help, it's akin to suicide (Amplified version). If the toddler was vomiting and couldn't keep down fluids, then the parents should have sought Some variety of medical care. Once again, that's my opinion. We can't make blanket statements though, especially since we weren't There and we don't know all the specifics of the case.

I believe G-d gives us medical technology to use in it's rightful place. I would never try to set a broken bone at home... but I'm not going to run my kids to the ped for every sniffle either. There is a balance there~ and G-d will lead every family to do what He's calling them to do for their children.

 

[sparassidae]

Hi there, good to be thinking about these things. Personally, we decided to go ahead with vaccination for all our children, after researching etc. I think it's something you need to look at yourself and make a decision.

REgarding medical care, I basically agree with jgonz- there are things that God will heal on their own and there are things that need medical help. I believe that God gave Doctors skills for a reason, and I think using their skills is NOT a sign of lack of faith.

In the case I think you are talking about specifically, the girl had Type 1 Diabetes- not some gastro bug that might go away on it's own. It's an incurable chronic illness that is fatal if not treated with insulin. One of my daughters has Type 1, and it physically sickened me to hear her parents had refused medical care for her. As I said in another thread on this subject, yes we pray for a cure, but we also give her insulin everyday.

 

[Sabertooth]

On principle, I think vaccines are great (our older kids got all of them), but once we found out that our second son was severely autistic and thimerosal (a preservative in some vaccines) was implicated, we became more cautious. Somewhere along the way we found out about the aborted fetal cells, too.

I have a pet hunch that, instead of thimerosal, a curse borne of those cells may be the culprit...

 

[Tea]

Yes you have asked a few different questions.

First, like Sabbertooth, our oldest children are vacinated, until we too started learning and reading more, (the internet wasn't available then, and it was much harder to get your hands on just the information that you wanted). Our second youngest developed T1 after having her MMR for preschool entrance, and I am yet to be convinced there is not a connection between the two. Since then we have stopped vaccines in this family.

Refusing medical help for sickness, is as Jan pointed out our right, but the child in question here had been vomiting etc for over a month. Somewhere as parents do have to be responsible for seeking medical help. This girl did have T1, and having a child with this illness, I can't understand how the parents could watch their child go through the things that she did. I have had the statement put to me, that I should have let my child die, as God intented, rather than seek medical intervention for her, and my feelings are, that if God intended for her to die, then nothing I did, including medical intervention would have saved her.

Just my thoughts,
Tracey

 

[coffeegal]

there are a lot of links out there about vaccines. i'd post some, but apparently i don't have enough posts. (yet)

i think there is a huge difference between refusing child medical care and not vaccinating. i don't vaccinate because i've not been convinced that they actually help.

now if my child had the same type of heart condition that i have and i didn't take them to a cardiologist- that would be denying them proper medical treatment. (since it needs surgery). that i wouldn't do.

my younger 4 kids have never had a sick visit.

 

[sweetangelmum]

I personally dont vaccinate and my kids are very healthy. I do however take to doctor if ill. Sometimes I dont as it can be naturally healed but I dont believe in saying God will heal I dont have to go to the doctor if the kid is really ill that is just plain dumb.

 

[RedTulipMom]

my oldest son was vaccinated, that was back before i had the internet all the available resources to find out the pros and cons. my youngest two havent had any vaccinations because i dont feel they are necessary and there is possible dangers to the vaccinations and i won't take the risks. i suggest you read the pros and cons and pray and then make a decision

 

[jessesgirl]

My son, 18 months is completely up to date on his vaccinations and will remain that way. After doing our research and considering Justin as an individual, we decided that was what was best for him. I think vaccinating depends a LOT on the child and if we were to have any more children, I would look at the child (as a whole) and determine whether or not to vaccinate.

If my son is sick, I take him to the doctor. If I don't like what the dr. says or I don't think he needs the medication that the dr. puts him on, I take matters into my own hands. I rarely give him meds for as long as the doctor tells me to. I do, though, make my intentions very clear when I take Justin in. I tell him that I will likely give the medication for as long as I think he needs it and I will ask for safe, effective means of weaning him off. I truly believe that, as Justin's mother, I know him and his body better than any doctor that sees him once every six months. That being said, I have, for the most part, a lot of faith in Justin's pediatrician because he IS so flexible with us.

 

[Hamperfull]

We are similar to some others on here - we are choosing not to vaccinate our children but allow medical intervention if we believe there is a need for it.

Medically, I try homeopathic remedies first (which nearly always do the trick) but am always ready to go to the doctor if symptoms worsen.

As for vaccinations there were several reasons for our not having them - basically a LOT of research, a LOT of praying and we also have 2 family members and another family friend who have autism of differing degrees which they put down to vaccinations.

Hope that helps.

 

[Scottish Joy]

We haven't gotten our son vaccinated yet, but we probably will. We didn't want to start them until he was out of the fragile baby stage, and his immune system was more developed. Even so, we'll probably still vaccinate selectively. Like, if we're taking him on a mission trip where certain diseases are prevalent, we'll certainly get him the vaccinations beforehand. I had my baby shots, and I was surprised at how many I've had to have redone to get into various medical training programs. Apparently most of them only "take" for so many years. That's also part of the reason we're not doing baby shots.. why get the poor kid injected more times than we have to?
We're involved with a good bit of mission work in Haiti involving medical clinics, so growing up in our family our kids will probably end up with all of the vaccines eventually.

 

[gracechick]

On principle, I think vaccines are great (our older kids got all of them), but once we found out that our second son was severely autistic and thimerosal (a preservative in some vaccines) was implicated, we became more cautious. Somewhere along the way we found out about the aborted fetal cells, too.

I have a pet hunch that, instead of thimerosal, a curse borne of those cells may be the culprit...

I am struggling with this as well. We have a prek and I don't like what I see in regards of the preservatives and oils in the vaccinations. Also it is only common sense not to mention the curse that comes with aborted babies that mixing cells like that is highly questionable.
It makes it a little harder as my husband is on the fence, but I will definetly look into opting out of some we consider unecessary.

 

[Sabertooth]

According to Raggedy Ann - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , there was an anti-vaccination movement in the early 1900s, as well.

 

[Lime Flower]

I believe vaccinations should be spread out to prevent illness, but they are good. That autistic symptoms can start showing around the time that vaccines are given is a coincidence. Before vaccinations, there were autistic children who seemed to "regress" around the age that vaccinations are given today.

Vaccines save lives.