Parents usually have their children immunized to ensure their health. However, not all seems to agree with this strategy.
Juanita "Wanda" Halden, a mom of two, expressed her desire to open Australia's first anti-vaccination childcare center in her local region of Northern Rivers in rural New South Wales, Women's Weekly reports. She felt that this movement is an answer to "human right violations" that the government implemented, such as "no jab, no play, no pay" policy that prohibits children without vaccination from attending a daycare or school with children who have.
"I am a woman who answers to the creator—not corporation," Halden wrote on a Facebook post. "Therefore I am the highest authority when it comes to making decisions concerned with my body or that of my property 'my child.' I also value my ability to discern, research and understand the risks associated with my choices. Do not try to sway me. Or my rights. You will fail."
However, public health advocates do not agree with Haden and in fact they find the no-vaccination child care center "irresponsible and dangerous," ABC News reports.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. John Cunningham, a member of Stop the Anti-Vaccination Network find such movement unreasonable. "I can only think that this is one of the more stupid ideas I've ever heard of—a child care center full of unvaccinated children would serve as a haven for disease," he said.
Leslie Williams, the Minister for Early Childhood Education, is among those who opposed the idea of no-vaccination policy. She admitted that she had asked the Department of Education to investigate options to stop it from being established, Mail Online has learned.
Williams also revealed that she was dismayed that someone would suggest such type of service. To respond on Haden's "human right violations" issue regarding the "no jab, no play" policy, this is what she said, "I will continue to work with the Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, to ensure our 'no jab, no play' policy is enforced in NSW. Services who do not comply face penalties, including prosecution."
Provaccination advocate Heidi Robertson claimed that there had been a raft of misinformation about vaccination that spread on social media stating that vaccines are not necessary as long as one gets enough sunshine and Vitamin D, and if one practices a healthy diet. She agreed that those things are helpful but they do not provide the specific protection vaccines offer, according to ABC News.
To give a concrete example she said: "The Northern Rivers here, we have got so much sunshine, so much organic healthy food and people lead very healthy lifestyles but we are continually having outbreaks."
