A Kaiser social worker just called me and said that my daughter's doctor is concerned that my daughter hasn't had any immunizations. I need to make an appointment and if I don't do it within the week, they are responsible and have to contact the authorities.
This has probably been mentioned before on this group but I don't know how to find it. I also don't have much time. I need to find out what I should do (other than getting her vaccinated.)
What do you know about this?
thanks,
D.
Why not vaccinate? Why not think about the other kids who may contract something from your daughter, because she didn't get her shots? Families who do vaccinate would like to have piece of mind that they don't have to worry. We live in a global society with families traveling all over the world, bringing new and old diseases back with them. I hope you change your mind.
how is it legal for them to make you vaccinate? i know so many people who make the educated choice not to vaccinate. how can they make you?
D. , in California we are protected with the right to refuse medical treatment of any sort with any one of three exemptions.
They are religious , philosophical , or medical . You can google CA state medical exemption laws , to begin your research. Stay calm , you should be able to report whomever threatened you I am guessing, because they violated YOUR rights!
Peace, J. Tilsner Awakenings Birth Services
Hello,
The Berkeley Parents Network probably has voluminous information on this topic and how parents have dealt with this challenge. Go to their website (google for URL), look under their health section and see what past correspondence has been. They are a site similar to MamaSource, but they keep their past correspondence and make it public. I'm sure they have past correspondence about vaccines. I've found it tremendously helpful.
We have Dr. Amnon Goodman at Kaiser SF. He has been very accommodating and helpful around our alternate vaccination schedule. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that Kaiser offered us MMR broken into three shots - without even asking!
Ultimately vaccination is a very personal family decision. The law is on your side. No one can make you vaccinate. Our family ultimately decided to take a very slow approach to vaccinations and we are happy with this choice. I wish you happiness with yours.
Best,
C.
hi D.,
how scary and nerve racking to get a phone call like that! but there is absolutely no one they can call to make you vaccinate. i also have kaiser and don't vaccinate, my doctor didn't like it but he accepts it. they are using scare tactics on you to try to force you to do it. just be strong. you're not doing anything wrong. you're the mommy and it's your decision.
and then i'd definitely switch doctors if the doctor was actually the one who initiated that phone call and the social worker didn't just take it upon herself to call. if she did it on her own, i'd report her. the call was completely inappropriate.
sorry you had to go through that and good luck!
First of all switch doctors to one that will support your decision immediately. Find a doctor and go see him or her and make sure you have their support. There are doctors within Kaiser that will support you- you just need to find them. Berkeley Parents Network is a great resource for this if you can't find it on Mamasource.
Second, your doctor must be ignorant of the laws of the state of california, in which all parents have the right to philosophically be exempt from getting their children vaccinated. Here are some links to more information- and get your self informed as much as possible incase people begin asking questions. Align yourself with other mom's doing the same thing. Again Berkeley Parents Network can be a great place for this.
http://www.vaclib.org/exemption.htm
http://www.cga.ct.gov/2004/rpt/2004-R-0263.htm
http://www.geocities.com/titus2birthing/VacWkst.html
Here is a thread on mothering.com about it- that you may be able to open up again and get some more responses from people who have possibly been through the same thing:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=116...
Good luck- and don't let them bully you into anything you don't want to do - as that is exactly what they are trying to do.
J. Stevens, L.Ac.
www.yourwholefamilywellness.com
I am on a listserve called the Vegetarian Resource Group, and there was a thread going for a long time about vaccinations. You might want to connect with them, regardless of the reason you don't want to vaccinate. ____@____.com
IT IS PERFECTLY LEGAL NOT TO VACCINATE!
the state of California has some legal paperwork you can fill out... something about refusing vaccinations due to philosophical beliefs or something. also some parents choose to wait till their child is 2 or older to vaccinate because their immune systems are better able to deal with the shots. it is also a good idea to find pediatrician who will give shots one at a time, not in a cocktail. it would be great to find a pediatrician who has similar views about vaccs, anti-biotics, etc as you do. i don't know if they exist at kiaser...
www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/vaccines.htm has a lot of info. i suggest getting as informed about your choice as you can. that's what i've done, because so many people question us like we are recklessly endangering our kid's life by not shooting her up right away and without question.
good luck! stand your ground, don't let anyone make you ignore your parental instincts. ask questions.
Peace, J.
Take a deep breath. There is no legal action that can be taken against you. I am a pro-vaccine person but more than that I am pro-patient rights (it's what I do for a living) and you can not be forced to vaccinate your child in the state of California where there is a legal exemption in place for philosophical reasons http://909shot.com/state-site/legal-exemptions.htm
Call this social worker tell her that you know your rights under California state law and that if she doesn't stop harassing you, you will file a cease and desist order with the county. That should get her attention.
What are you waiting for? Get her vaccinated.
