The Great Battle of Scare Stories!
“My kid was totally healthy, but then right after he got vaccinated, he became an asthmatic diabetic on the spectrum!”
“Mom dies of freak illness that she may have gotten from an unvaccinated kid!”
This is unlikely to convince anyone. Parents who consciously choose not to vaccinate are not selfish, nor are they stupid. They are afraid, and skeptical of what they are told by authority. And this comes from both sides of the political spectrum. Conservatives don’t trust the government. Liberals don’t trust the pharmaceutical companies. President Trump linked vaccines to autism on the campaign trail, advocating against “one time massive shots.” And add on top of that a breakdown in trust between doctors and patients. If this “battle” is going to be won, it has to take place in the exam room, with a doctor actually seeing his patients as human beings, and treating them as such. Maybe even getting to know them, rather than seeing them as nuisances with too many questions taking up too much time, or as threats to his/her perceived authority. Medicine is no longer seen as מן from above, doled out by benevolent superiors who know best. It’s a marketplace, and doctors are selling goods and services to customers. Time must be taken to actually identify and address fears and concerns, relate on an emotional level, and provide clear information that empowers patient decision making, not belittling or bullying them.