Ignited largely by a now-retracted and scientifically flawed study claiming tenuous links between the MMR and autism, and fueled by celebrities (Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Alicia Silverstone, to name a few) and probably Russian bots, parental aversion to immunizing children against common, vaccine-preventable diseases is on the rise.
The Internet is making things much, much worse. Anti-vaxxers are near-impossible to argue with, and research has actually shown that attempting to dissuade an anti-vaxxer of their opinion is not merely ineffective, it actually reinforces their beliefs. But it turns out supporting their beliefs reinforces them as well, so we’re all doomed I guess.
When this 19-year-old girl got six vaccines, her anti-vax mom took to Facebook to vent. And rather than attempting to dissuade her from her unnecessary grief, her Facebook friends supported her, with many commenting on how “heartbroken” and “disappointed” they were with the teenager. The following screenshots, posted to the r/InsaneParents subreddit, reveal just how cult-like a mentality anti-vaxxers can share.
Photo Credit: Reddit
One commenter wrote that “A doc really has to be a little insane to inject so much in one day, eh?”
Photo Credit: Reddit
When a horrified Facebook friend commented “OMG that’s horrible but why????” the mom in question blamed the doctor for instilling a greater fear of diseases in her daughter than of “any adverse vaccine reaction.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
“Make her watch some documentaries.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
Mom goes on to lament the fact that her daughter fell for the lies of someone she deemed more educated (a doctor.)
Photo Credit: Reddit
And proceeded to list a couple of the vaccines the teen received: HPV and meningococcal.
Photo Credit: Reddit
(HPV— the most common sexually transmitted infection— is responsible for about 90% of an*l and cervical cancers. HPV is also linked to many other types of cancers, but as there are no screening tests available for any but cervical they’re often not found until they’ve become more advanced and difficult to treat.)
She then complains about going through “stages of grief” presumably caused by her daughter’s distaste for death brought on by preventable illnesses.
Photo Credit: Reddit
At one point, one of her Facebook ‘friends’ says she hopes the teenager experiences an averse physical reaction to the vaccinations because “she needs a wake up call.”
Photo Credit: Reddit
“Go ready fully equipped with the knowledge.” WHAT KNOWLEDGE??? The world may never know.
Commenters on the Reddit thread were outraged on the teen’s behalf for the lack of respect and boundaries her mother showed her:
Photo Credit: Reddit
As well as the fact that she’d rather see her daughter ill than be proven wrong:
Photo Credit: Reddit
Others brought up the point that anti-vaxxers are not merely harming themselves– they are quite literally threatening the lives of those who aren’t able to vaccinate themselves for one medical reason or another:
Photo Credit: Reddit
And prided the teen on her independent thinking.
Photo Credit: Reddit
This article was first published by our friends at Woke Sloth.
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