Let's play a game. It's called the Measles Blame Game.  It is easy to play;  just chose a side.  Do you want to be in the "blame the vaccinated" camp or the "blame the unvaccinated camp"?  Once you pick your side then you will have to find overwhelming evidence, either emotional or scientific, to shout out to the world as proof everyone should comply with  your opinion.  Now for the catch. There are no winners.

I have friends who do not vaccinate who are too afraid to tell people for fear of backlash.

I have friends who vaccinate who are too afraid to tell people for fear of backlash.

I have friends on both sides who love to share their opinion.  Some do so in a respectful manner and some do not.

All of them love their kids.  All of them have the right to make medical decisions for their kids. None of them have to switch camps.

I read an article by a woman whose child has cancer and therefore cannot get the measles vaccine. She is furious by those who chose not to vaccinate because of the risk it may pose to her child.  You know what?  I understand that.  If I heard of a case of measles and I were in her shoes, I would be just as FEARFUL.  Yet, fear does not motivate sound decisions.  Fear causes anger toward what we fear and in this case it is a group of people.  A group of moms and dads who are doing their best to make the best decisions for their children.  I do not have a child with cancer so I cannot pretend to know how that mom feels.  Yet, it is unfair for a mother to suggest another mom put her child at risk for the benefit of her child.

Regardless of circumstance we live in a free country.  Yes, it is still free and whatever shreds are left we need to hang onto with all our might.  Most parents agree that they have the right to make medical decisions for their children.  We all seem to agree with that in theory but not in application.  We happily stand up for rights if those rights don't come back to bite us, as in our child sitting next to an unvaccinated child.

We can all go back and forth giving story, experience, and circumstance to support our cause.  Yet, the fact is that parents retain the right to make medical decisions for their child.  I use the word "retain" lightly as I see this right slipping away and the measles blame game only serving to fuel it.  If we want to retain that right then we have to live with the choices we and other parents make.  We don't have to like it.  We don't even have to respect it.  We just have to accept it and keep our mouths shut.

Now that you are envisioning some militant homeschool mom who lives off of kombucha and doesn't vaccinate her kids, think again.  Two of my kids are in public school, I can't stand the taste of kombucha, and my kids are vaccinated.  Let me give you a minute to pick your jaw off the floor.  Now, my daughter learned to read "organic" before "cat" because of my buying habits.  Yet, we did eat at Chick fil la the other night.  I'm a rule breaker.  I love freedom for all and not just for me.

I do not have scientific proof or a sad story about vaccines to share.  I suspect that isn't what this is all about anyway.  At the root, this is a debate on allowing parents to retain the right to make medical decisions for their children.  Either we support that right or we don't.  I fear the day that we stop taking the risk that comes with living in a free society.