Fueled by Fear Not Faith

My husband's nephew has muscular dystrophy, affecting his heart. A simple cold could put him in the hospital. Pneumonia could be deadly. During cold and flu season, my sister-in-law insists that all visitors have had their flu shots. If we choose to visit then, we abide by that rule. Otherwise, we stay home. We choose to care for one another. It's what faith has taught us to do.

As a Christian pastor, I wondered what religious grounds there could be for placing other human beings in danger. Christianity places great value on human life. Surely, all citizens are called to be in community with one another, caring for their neighbors. Faith teaches us that.

Yet some parents, claiming religious freedom, whether they subscribe to any particular faith or not, are choosing to not vaccinate their children. I contend it is often not a religious decision at all, but one that is based on fear. It's a decision that affects more than just their own children.

In 2007, the director of the CDC's Immunization Services Division said that choices about vaccines have far-reaching consequences. "When you choose not to get a vaccine, you're not just making a choice for yourself, you're making a choice for the person sitting next to you".
If people don't want the vaccine, fine. Stay home. Don't spread the illness.

What right does anyone else have to make medical decisions that affect, not only themselves, but also the community they live in? What right do they have to put MY children at risk by refusing to vaccinate THEIR children?

In fact, I found few religious "groups" with religious edicts keeping them from having vaccinations. Despite dietary laws, both Judaism and Islam make exceptions for medical treatments derived from forbidden animals.

There are some who oppose vaccines that are developed using cell lines from aborted fetuses, but do not object to synthetic vaccines. (The four new H1N1 vaccines approved by the FDA do not use aborted fetal cell lines, but chicken eggs instead.)

The decision to not vaccinate seems to stem more from fear than faith. Some oppose only vaccinations that protect against sexually transmitted diseases, fearing they give the impression that the behaviors are somehow acceptable. Most are afraid of the small risk in taking the vaccination. This is no surprise! Fear is the fuel that seems to drive American fundamentalists. They are not alone.

A current report from the Center for Disease and Control says that, in an effort to stop vaccinations against polio, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan have "issued fatwas opposing vaccination as an attempt to avert Allah's will, and as an American plot to sterilize Muslims. The Taliban have kidnapped, beaten, and assassinated vaccination officials."

It should be no surprise that this is one more thing the "terrorists of talk radio" share in common with the Taliban. Some cite the text of Matthew 18:6 as a Biblical command from Jesus to do no harm to their children. Jesus warns that to harm “one such as these” will have dire consequences.

Funny. When asked, Jesus said the greatest command was to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. I only hope my neighbors love me enough to be vaccinated... or at least enough to stay home if they are ill.