When you have a pocket of children who are unvaccinated,
that pocket is much more likely to support contagious
diseases, like whooping cough or measles. —PAul Offit, MD

Above: Dr. Paul Offit, in his office in Philadelphia

that are not based upon best medical evidence. It also attempts to present some parents’ fear of vaccines as just that—fear—and not fact. Many young parents today do not appreciate the danger of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases because they have never seen them firsthand. This Private Practice episode illustrates the reality of one such disease at its worst, and shows the regret that can accompany a decision not to vaccinate.”

The implications are clear: Not vaccinating is based on uninformed decisions and puts the entire society at risk, and parents who choose not to vaccinate their children should expect them to die. “I consider vaccinations a moral obligation to one another in society,” said one caller to an Oregon Public Broadcasting call-in show about vaccines on which I was being interviewed about our family’s choices. Identifying herself as a physician and a parent, the caller continued, “Those who choose not to vaccinate rely on the rest of society to prevent epidemics of polio and measles from ravaging our communities.” 13

But Aviva Jill Romm, MD, author of Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, who spent 20 years in alternative medicine before completing a medical degree at Yale University, objects to the idea that parents who choose not to vaccinate are ignorant and irresponsible. “Pediatricians need to let go of this knee-jerk reaction that parents who don’t vaccinate are irresponsible,” Romm contends. “Many of the parents I know who have chosen not to vaccinate are actually fairly well-educated, actively contributing members of society. They are physicians, educators, people involved in government, law professors, medical professors, and academic professors.” 14

Dr. Robert W. Sears, MD, the son of attachment-
parenting proponents William and Martha Sears and

13. Oregon Public Broadcasting, Think Out Loud, “taking Shots,” hosted by Emily Harris ( 7 January 2009): http://stream1.opb.org/media/tol/ episodes/2009/ 0107.mp3. the show and some comments are posted at www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/taking-shots/. 14. this and subsequent quotations: personal communication ( 29 January 2009).