Many childhood diseases can now be prevented through the use of vaccines. Should parents be made by law to immunize their children against common diseases or should individuals have the right to choose not to immunize their children? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. v.7

With the advent of vaccines, it is now possible to prevent several dreaded diseases which are very common in children and cause a lot of morbidities, and sometimes mortality. However, the question arises as to whether vaccination should be made mandatory for all children in order to protect them from these diseases or should it be a voluntary decision of the parents. This essay will try to analyse both these views and come to a feasible conclusion. On the one hand, it is true that compulsory immunization of all children against a disease will prevent the perpetuation of the causative agent and will eventually eradicate the disease from the society. Moreover, prevention is better than cure and therefore it is both economical and socially beneficial to vaccinate the children, which in turn, will eventually lead to a healthy society with a decreased burden of a disease. For instance, in the early twentieth century, Small Pox was a dreaded disease among children, which lead to severe disfigurement and loss of hearing. With nationalised government aided compulsory Small Pox vaccination programme, the disease has been eradicated from this planet. The same idea holds promise for the eradication of Polio too. Even if a single will strain of Polio exists in the environment, there is a chance of Polio infection, which will sell the National Polio Eradication Programme of India. Hence it is essential that all children are compulsorily immunized against polio. On the other hand, it cannot be refuted that sometimes vaccines may have potential harmful effects on the human body, which may lead to a more severely ill effect in children than the disease itself. Parents do have the right to know these ill effects before being convinced into immunising their children. For example, in the initial stages of Pulse Polio Programme, there were a few sporadic cases of paralysis reported after taking the vaccination. Another argument against compulsory vaccination is that it violates the concept of natural or innate immunity against several bacteria and viruses. Considering both points of view, it is evident that the law enforced vaccination of children has several long-lasting benefits of the society which clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, it should be made compulsory by law to immunize children in order to build a better, less burdened, and disease free society.