Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Vaccines

In May 2017, Italian government approved a legislative decree that introduces 12 mandatory vaccinations for all children between 0 and 16. Failure to fulfill the obligation entails a fine, the inability to enter the mandatory school, and the possible loss of parental authority. A lot of people (named no-vax) did protests and demonstrations against this decree, defining it an anti-constitutional law because it limits the people Health's choices for their children. Other protests motivations brought by no-vax are fear of the possible collateral effects, vaccines can cause autism, many simultaneous vaccines overload immune system, and they think that they are no more necessary because many infectious diseases are disappearing.

Despite the protests

I want to apply the "Ladder of Inference" method (Mind Tools, 2017, para. 7) to my thinking process and no-vax thinking process, in order to verify the conclusions reached from both sides.

No-Vax Ladder of Inference:

1) Reality and Facts

Legislative decree that introduces 12 mandatory vaccinations. Failure to fulfill the obligation entails a fine, access denied to the mandatory school, and the possible loss of parental authority.

2) Selected Reality

Vaccines' collateral effects.

Vaccines can cause autism (fake news).

Many simultaneous vaccines overload the immune system (fake news).

In other European Countries, there aren't mandatory vaccinations (or they are less than the Italian legislative proposal).

3) Interpreted Reality

Anti-constitutional law because it violates freedom.

4) Assumptions

Vaccines do more harm than good.

5) Conclusions

Vaccines are no more necessary because many infectious diseases are disappearing.

6) Beliefs

Politicians are doing interests of the pharmaceutical multinationals instead of the Italian people.

7)

Failure to fulfil the obligation entails a fine, access denied to the mandatory school, and the possible loss of parental authority.

Italian government wanted to introduce this law because Italy needs to improve his child vaccination rates (OECD, 2017, para. 2).

2) Selected Reality

Scientific evidence tells that vaccines' side effects "are minor (for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever) and go away within a few days" (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017, para. 1).

The study that links vaccines with autism was judge fraudulent (Hensley, 2011, para. 2).

In other European Countries, there aren't mandatory vaccinations (or they are less than the Italian legislative proposal), but other European Countries have better civic consciousness, and better child vaccination rates (OECD, 2017, para. 2).

"Infants Have the Capacity to Respond to an Enormous Number of Antigens" (Offit et al., 2002, para. 16).

3) Interpreted Reality

Most of the no-vax reasons and evidence aren't valid or objective.

4) Assumptions

Subjectivity, fake news, and lack of information supported by scientific evidence are largely responsible for the no-vax protests.

5)