Hannah Dwyer
SOC 242
Assignment 7
Essay on THE VACCINE WAR Video
In the FRONTLINE PBS documentary on "The Vaccine War,” focuses on two sides of
the issue, one being pro-vaccine and the other anti-vaccine. Within this documentary many
doctors, activists, and parents are interviewed and share their views on the numerous amounts of
vaccines available to the world today. There are numerous organizations that are pro-vaccine and
provide support to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. Yet, there is another side to the
story that is anti-vaccine and showcase various threats and risks for vaccinating children.
The pro-vaccination side claims that vaccinations available help improve the lives of
children and “are one of medicines shining achievements.” Another claim is that many diseases
have been eliminated as a result of vaccines, such as polio that in the 1920s would kill thousands
of people. For example, according to claimsmaker, Dr. Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia, states “vaccines have increased our lifespan by 30 years.” Dr. Melinda Wharton, a
claimsmaker of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, states, “There are now 16
preventable diseases by vaccination for children.” To Dr. Wharton being able to prevent 16
diseases by vaccination for infants and adolescents is a really good thing. One troubling
condition that Dr. Donna Bradshaw states that children who are not getting vaccinated are going
to be the ones who bring back diseases that have been gone for decades. With the international
travel of the 21st century more tourism grows and tourists can bring diseases that can be
contracted by children who are not vaccinated. The National Institute of Health, Food and Drug
Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and large vaccine
manufacturers, like Pfizer are social problem workers that are continually addressing the provaccination side of the issue by researching and studying vaccines that are eliminating diseases,
even diseases that many people are unaware of to this day. The CDC plays a role through media
coverage by providing information on their website of all the side-effects and risks of getting a
certain vaccine.
The anti-vaccination side to this issue is large in parts of the United States, especially in
Ashland, Oregon where there is plenty of access to fresh, organic food products and alternative
medicines. One claim that anti-vaccination activists are stating is that there are reasons that
“children get sick and getting sick is not a bad thing.” A claimsmaker for the anti-vaccination
side is mother, and Ph.D Jennifer Margolis who wrote an article in the magazine, Mothering,
about her research and interpretations of vaccinations and their impacts. Margolis claims that
children get “4 times the number of vaccines than I got when I was a child growing up in the
1970s.” A troubling condition to the anti-vaccination movement is that vaccinations cause
regressions physically, mentally, and emotionally that result in Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
and learning disabilities. Barbara Loe Fisher a policymaker, who works for an independent
watchdog organization dedicated to lobbying for laws that promote vaccine safety, which is the
National Vaccine Information Center. This organization has created a special court that
“evaluates and compensates victims of adverse vaccine side-effects.” Other claimsmakers in the
anti-vaccine dilemma, such as Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey speak out and claim that vaccines
cause Autism. The public reaction to McCarthy and Carrey’s activism resulted in rallies and
marches of parents who support the anti-vaccination movement, Green Our Vaccines. Since
McCarthy has spoken out about her son, numerous parents have joined her cause and media
coverage of how vaccines correlate with Autism has skyrocketed, especially in the use of
personal stories all over the Internet via YouTube.
Both sides of the vaccination issue bring about various claims, claimsmakers, and
troubling conditions that support each side of the issue. The FRONTLINE PBS documentary
gives the viewer a chance to evaluate and analyze pro and anti-vaccination activists and how
strong their claims are to the public.