Pediatric Vaccination Case Study

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Vaccination is imperative in keeping communities safe from harmful diseases, especially those that are easily communicable. However, pediatric immunization policy can be debated from an ethical perspective because it concerns the role of the government in maintaining the health of children, potentially decreasing family autonomy. Despite this, the Washington State immunization requirements, with exemptions for school entrance are ethically required because they balance the role of the government in public health with personal autonomy in the most minimally intrusive way possible. Hendrix states that pediatric vaccination, or the policies surrounding vaccination requirements for children, can “span several public health domains, including …show more content…
In the event that parents make a decision not to vaccinate their child, the policy has potential exemptions. Parents may be hesitant to vaccinate their child, or outright opposed for a variety of reasons, including immunodeficiency, religious obligation, and philosophical principles. The government acknowledges these concerns by permitting exemptions to the immunization requirements. The Washington State Department of Health website provides instructions on how to complete and submit the CIS form which can exempt families from vaccinating children. This process is very well documented on the website. Washington is empathetic to the parental rationale, though they encourage those who are capable of vaccinating to do so. Regardless, the fact that the government has exemptions demonstrates that they can respect personal autonomy. However, the obstacle of going through the process of filling out paperwork makes the easiest route vaccination, which fulfills the government’s goal of keeping the community safe. The parents will need to make a conscious decision whether to vaccinate or not, and if it less of a burden to vaccinate, and those who do not want to vaccinate can choose to do so, then the policy is ethically