There are many political issues of interest related to nursing. These issues range from societal issues, to moral/values issues, to regulatory issues. Nurses own personal beliefs and morals lead to indifferent opinions associated with many political issues. Currently, one of the prevalent issues we are facing is the issue about childhood immunizations. Childhood immunizations are responsible for numerous global public health successes, for example, the eradication of smallpox and largely reducing other serious infections like polio and measles. There is a small group of parents that refuse vaccinations for their children. Theses parents have a variety of reason for their refusals, such as fears for their child’s safety …show more content…
Health care providers legally have to have a signed consent before treating a patient. This includes informing the parents of all of the health risks and benefits for their child. Parents and or guardians must think about what is best for their child? Making this decision is influenced by a family’s morals, religion and ethical principles. “In the United States, all states have school-entry immunization requirements, although specifics vary among them (Omer & Salmon & Orenstein & DeHart & Halsey, 2009). A common belief is that immunizations, specifically the measles, mumps and rubella are linked to autism. One of the Republican front-runners for president in this election, Donald Trump has publically linked vaccines to autism. Numerous patient advocacy groups have condemned Trumps remarks and report they are false. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly states that there is no link between vaccines and autism, that vaccine ingredients do not cause autism and that vaccines, in general, are very safe” (Cha, 2015). One the other spectrum of this debate one of the Democrat front runners Hillary Clinton stated that “The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, vaccines work” (Richardson, 2015). This dilemma is not a matter of being a Democrat or Republican, Democrat Robert F. Kennedy directly blamed vaccines for an increase in autism even though there was no …show more content…
After this assessment, the healthcare provider must educate the families on the benefits and harms associated with immunizing their child as well as not immunizing their children. There are ethical issues that policy makers should be aware of when developing legislation about childhood immunization. The policy makers need to be given the correct information. Ethical dilemmas and objections to school and other mandates come up due to communities and individuals that disagree with mandates and/or have religious beliefs that conflict with child immunizations. Patients should always have autonomy. When it comes to childhood immunizations every parent has that choice for their child.
Impact the nursing profession could have on children immunizations There are a few parents that have no education about immunizations, and when they are provided the data that weighs out the harms and benefits, most parents choose to immunize their child. The nursing profession as a whole can have a large impact on the issue of child immunizations if nurses became more familiar with the issue and reached out to policymakers. Nurses can also out the community and help educate parents about the benefits and risk of their child getting immunizations.