Vaccine Hesitancy: Why We Should Stop Bullying People About It

I live in Vancouver, BC. We recently had a measles outbreak in our city.

My family and I are up-to-date with our vaccinations. You might categorize me as a “vaxxer” or even a “vaxtremist”. In other words, I am pro-vaccine.

Still, today I write to discuss why I believe we should seek to understand the position of those who have been labeled “anti-vaxxers” or those who have hesitated on vaccinating their children (or themselves).

The WHO defines vaccine hesitancy as:

Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability of vaccination services. It [vaccine hesitancy] is complex and context specific varying across time, place and vaccines

 

Vaccine Hesitancy: Context Matters

 

I have known and loved people who choose not to vaccinate. A former colleague at the law firm I practiced at. My former neighbor. An acquaintance from a playgroup.

Knowing the context from which they made their decision, I can appreciate how they have made this choice for themselves and their families.

I do not agree with this decision, however.

I vehemently do not agree with the decision not to vaccinate against measles.

Why, You Might Ask?

Measles is highly contagious and is a potentially deadly disease. In fact, choosing not to vaccinate against measles presents such a risk to human life that it should not be of personal discretion.

This is my opinion.

Why I’m Telling You This

When I was 25, a vaccine came on the market for vaccinating against HPV. The stipulation was that you could get it only if you were under 26 years of age. I had roughly a year to decide whether I wanted to get this vaccine or not. So I chose not to get the vaccine. Why?

I was afraid.

I desperately wanted children and I was fearful that the vaccine might render me infertile. There was absolutely no public information to substantiate my fear.

Yet I could not help thinking about what I would feel like if the unknown dangers of this vaccine came out in the future. I told myself that I would be furious for blindly accepting a new vaccine.

Additionally, because my doctor was espousing the benefits quite assertively, I felt slightly bullied into agreeing to it. I ultimately made the decision not to get the HPV vaccine based on unfounded paranoia and feeling disturbed about being “forced” into doing something to my body.

 

The Difference

 

Unlike measles, HPV is not highly contagious. One might argue that my decision not to vaccinate against HPV potentially harms no one but myself, provided that I act with caution.

I do feel, however, that my experience with vaccine hesitancy allows me to empathize with others who choose not to vaccinate in other circumstances.

If we look at how human beings make decisions, I believe we would agree that it is natural to hesitate making a choice when we have preconceived notions about the subject matter or when we feel pressured.

I believe we can agree that this is a function of being considerate beings. We are sentient and while we have the capacity to be rational, we are also driven largely by emotions.

 

The Bullying Problem

 

What bothers me about the current discourse regarding vaccinations is the bullying I have witnessed by pro-vaccination parties. Articles such as this one. Calling people who have chosen not to vaccinate “stupid” and labeling them as the “other” is both erroneous and counter-productive.

The “anti-vaxxers” are not the “others”. They are us. They are our colleagues, our neighbors, our friends.

These people are not stupid. They are our fellow community members, and in some cases, they are highly educated on the topic. They have made their decision within the context of their experience.

The decision not to vaccinate is one we, as a community, have to seek to understand. Only then can we accept it, discuss it, and organize ourselves around it accordingly. This is precisely what Joshua Greenberg discusses in his research on vaccine hesitancy.

Bullying someone into making a decision is ineffectual because it forces the person attacked to retreat.

 

We do not want to force members of our community into hiding on this important subject. This is counterproductive to achieving measures of protection for all.

 

A Possible Solution?

 

I believe we need to listen to those who have chosen not to vaccinate. We need to welcome all of our community into real discourse.

Dismissing those who choose not to vaccinate and those who hesitate on vaccinating is a dangerous misstep. In my mind, as long as vaccinations are given as a matter of personal choice, there will be individuals who do not want to vaccinate. Thus, we need to develop appropriate social systems around this choice.

 

We need to accept all positions and do our best to organize ourselves to protect all members of our communities.

A culture of bullying is one that should be put to rest.

Shaming someone will not change their mind and it will create distance. Protecting our community from disease is something we should all work towards closely and together.

 

Where Do I Stand Now?

 

Lucky for me the HPV vaccine was recently approved until age 45. I have an appointment booked with a doctor to get it next week and for that, I am grateful.

 

You might also want to read Laura’s piece on what it feels like to be part of The Sandwich Generation.