Calling the shots : why parents reject vaccines

Calling the shots Why parents reject vaccines

Jennifer A. Reich

Book - 2016

The headline-grabbing 2014 measles outbreak at Disneyland was just the latest reminder of our nation's falling vaccination rates. What was less evident, however, was that this event was only one example of a larger story of an increasing number of parents who are refusing vaccines, believing vaccines pose greater risks than benefits to their children. Given the certainty of the medical commuity that vaccines are safe and effective, many wonder how such parents, who are most likely to be white, have high levels of education, and have the greatest access to healthcare services and resources, could hold such beliefs? For more than a decade, sociologist Jennifer A. Reich has been following the issue of vaccine refusal - from the perspectiv...es of the parents who distrust vaccines and the corporations that make them to those of the healthcare providers and policy makers who see them as essential to ensuring community health. Rather than arguing one view, Reich carefully examines how parents who opt out of vaccinations see their decision: what they fear, what they hope to control, and what they believe is in their child's best interst. In describing parents' fears of Big Pharma, autism, or potential unknown side effects, and efforts to negotiate with physicians for alternative vaccination schedules or to promote "natural immunity," Reich provides a fascinating and empathetic potrait of the parents who are concerned. On the other hand, she presents the pediatricians who see the devastation vaccine-preventable diseases can cause, and the policy makers who aim to protect children and families. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations, this book compellingly examines the intersections between state power and families, perceptions of risk and necessity, trust in regulation and pharmaceutical safety, the relationship between doctors and patients, and how gender and privilege shape family life. Calling the Shots addresses central questions of individual rights and community responsibility and offers a unique opportunity to understand the points of disagreement on what is best for children, communities, and public health so we may bridge these differences. -- from dust jacket.

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Subjects
Vaccination of children.
Vaccination of children > Complications > Risk factors.
Vaccines > Health aspects.
Published
New York : New York University Press [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
Jennifer A. Reich (author)
Physical Description
xi, 315 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-306) and index.
ISBN
9781479812790
9781479874835
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • 1. The Public History of Vaccines
  • 2. Parents as Experts
  • 3. Vaccines as Unnatural Intervention
  • 4. The Limits of Trust in Big Pharma
  • 5. Who Calls the Shots?
  • 6. The Slow Vax Movement
  • 7. Finding Natural Solutions
  • 8. Vaccine Liberty
  • Conclusion: What Do We Owe Each Other?
  • Appendix A. Methods
  • Appendix B. Vaccine Schedule
  • Notes
  • References
  • Index
  • About the Author
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Despite warnings from the medical community and the outbreak of preventable diseases, some parents refuse to vaccinate their children. Here, a sociologist puts this group into a cultural context to examine their thinking.Reich (Sociology/Univ. of Colorado, Denver; Fixing Families: Parents, Power, and the Child Welfare System, 2005, etc.) interviewed parents and health care providers (primarily in Colorado), as well as researchers, attorneys, and policymakers, and attended meetings of advocates on both sides of the vaccination issue. Individual stories, sometimes including the voices of participants in her study, put a human face on this study. The author found that children who are unvaccinated or undervaccinated are not just from poor families who miss appointments or lack access to health care but also from higher-income families who actively reject vaccination. Her research shows that it is white, college-educated mothers who believe that by not vaccinating, they are protecting their children from harm. Reich notes that these mothers, whom public health officials call free riders, have the time and resources to explore the vaccination issue and that they question both the safety and necessity of vaccination, are suspicious of the link between government regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, see themselves as experts on their children's health, and are confident of their abilities to make good decisions about them. Reich argues that the children of mothers who place a higher value on individual choice than on community obligation are protected by the large vaccinated population and that they pose a risk to the unvaccinated or undervaccinated children of families with fewer resources. In the final chapter, she focuses on finding a middle ground in the ongoing debate. Recent outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough are focusing attention on this issue, making Reich's able contribution especially pertinent. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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