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~~Lord Larehip~~ · 09-01-2013, 10:48 AM

You may have read about the measles outbreak in Texas at the Kenneth Copeland ministry. The spokespeople for the ministry are saying that they are encouraging members to get vaccinated and that they do not and have never discouraged the practice. Former members tell a different story. They say that while vaccinations were not forbidden within the membership, it very definitely IS discouraged. Getting vaccinated is the equivalent of doubting god, they say. Copeland's ministry stresses faith over medicine, over science. Copeland himself has made many statements disparaging vaccinations to the point where it is clear the ministry opposes the practice and discourages it among membership.

Here's a link to the story:

Texas measles outbreak linked to church

A similar outbreak occurred last year after the Super Bowl:

Measles outbreak after Super Bowl ignites vaccine debate - On Parenting - The Washington Post

These stories point out that immunizations are opposed in this country by a wide variety of religious sects and denominations and conspiracy kooks. So the question is, should immunization within religious communities be compulsory?

Of course, this opens up a huge debate over how much control the govt should have in the lives of its citizens but, by the same token, refusal to be immunized affects everybody. They can come into contact with people outside their communities who have not been immunized, particularly children, especially in poorer areas.

Back in the 50s, polio was nearly eradicated after Jonas Salk came up with a vaccine but recently polio has made a comeback:

WHO to Announce Polio Resurgence a Global Health Emergency | Global Biodefense

While this polio resurgence is basically limited to poor nations like Nigeria, religious communities in America can introduce the disease to people if they travel abroad to countries where it is rampant and contract it themselves. This is precisely what happened at the Copeland ministries--someone picked up the measles virus while in Indonesia and then brought it to Texas where it found a fertile ground in which to sprout and spread--a religious community that frowns on immunization.

The following CDC article describes what happens when immunizations are halted:

Vaccines: Vac-Gen/What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations

The scarier scenario is that some of these diseases once thought eradicated are not only coming back but are coming back stronger than before and are themselves immune to the standard drugs. We have seen strains of super polio, super measles and super tuberculosis.

Emergence of new forms of totally drug-resistant tuber... [Chest. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI

The result could be rampant epidemics of new diseases we cannot fight. The idea of facing another Black Death might seem remote but we actually live on the verge of such a thing occurring again. The best way to combat this scenario is through widespread immunization.

So, should religious freedom give religious groups the right to refuse immunization against deadly and/or contagious diseases? Or should the govt have the right to enforce compulsory immunizations of every person in the country?

Moreover, what should we do with people who refuse to get immunizations (because you KNOW it will happen)?

09-01-2013, 10:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
~~Lord Larehip~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 899	Religious Freedom v. Everyone Else's You may have read about the measles outbreak in Texas at the Kenneth Copeland ministry. The spokespeople for the ministry are saying that they are encouraging members to get vaccinated and that they do not and have never discouraged the practice. Former members tell a different story. They say that while vaccinations were not forbidden within the membership, it very definitely IS discouraged. Getting vaccinated is the equivalent of doubting god, they say. Copeland's ministry stresses faith over medicine, over science. Copeland himself has made many statements disparaging vaccinations to the point where it is clear the ministry opposes the practice and discourages it among membership. Here's a link to the story: Texas measles outbreak linked to church A similar outbreak occurred last year after the Super Bowl: Measles outbreak after Super Bowl ignites vaccine debate - On Parenting - The Washington Post These stories point out that immunizations are opposed in this country by a wide variety of religious sects and denominations and conspiracy kooks. So the question is, should immunization within religious communities be compulsory? Of course, this opens up a huge debate over how much control the govt should have in the lives of its citizens but, by the same token, refusal to be immunized affects everybody. They can come into contact with people outside their communities who have not been immunized, particularly children, especially in poorer areas. Back in the 50s, polio was nearly eradicated after Jonas Salk came up with a vaccine but recently polio has made a comeback: WHO to Announce Polio Resurgence a Global Health Emergency \| Global Biodefense While this polio resurgence is basically limited to poor nations like Nigeria, religious communities in America can introduce the disease to people if they travel abroad to countries where it is rampant and contract it themselves. This is precisely what happened at the Copeland ministries--someone picked up the measles virus while in Indonesia and then brought it to Texas where it found a fertile ground in which to sprout and spread--a religious community that frowns on immunization. The following CDC article describes what happens when immunizations are halted: Vaccines: Vac-Gen/What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations The scarier scenario is that some of these diseases once thought eradicated are not only coming back but are coming back stronger than before and are themselves immune to the standard drugs. We have seen strains of super polio, super measles and super tuberculosis. Emergence of new forms of totally drug-resistant tuber... [Chest. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI The result could be rampant epidemics of new diseases we cannot fight. The idea of facing another Black Death might seem remote but we actually live on the verge of such a thing occurring again. The best way to combat this scenario is through widespread immunization. So, should religious freedom give religious groups the right to refuse immunization against deadly and/or contagious diseases? Or should the govt have the right to enforce compulsory immunizations of every person in the country? Moreover, what should we do with people who refuse to get immunizations (because you KNOW it will happen)? Last edited by Lord Larehip; 09-01-2013 at 10:57 AM.