# Anti-vaxxers are ignorant scumbags that kill children **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626 "2016-09-01T01:59:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/481 "2019-02-05T06:51:28Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Oh God, you are so right. (I’m not calling you God, though, you know, if the shoe fits…) I posted the link on a social media account and I already have a friend who’s posted those very concernsI’m encouraged that after reading the article, science-background friend said she’s now unsure what to think. > > Thanks for wishing me luck. I know I won’t succeed most of the time, but I refuse to let these claims go unchallenged. What is it with these people who trust science on one issue but not another? Both my anti-vaxxer friends are ardent environmentalists. People are change. And the ones I know are not environmentalists at all. But they do believe in a very young Earth. That’s another reason why they are homeschooling. Science and medicine just don’t sit well with them. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/482 "2019-02-05T08:45:24Z")
…until they get sick, I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/483 "2019-02-05T18:18:34Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > …until they get sick, I suppose… Their solution to that is to treat the kids with massive doses of vitamins and natural foods. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/484 "2019-02-05T18:27:14Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Their solution to that is to treat the kids with massive doses of vitamins and natural foods. There is an anti-vax radio commercial here where a woman is claiming that the current measles crisis is the fault of the doctors that won’t give out the proper nutritional info that will prevent the disease. :smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/485 "2019-02-05T21:06:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There is an anti-vax radio commercial here where a woman is claiming that the current measles crisis is the fault of the doctors that won’t give out the proper nutritional info that will prevent the disease. :smack::smack: And if moms breastfeed the kids for 14 months, their immune systems will be so strong that they can withstand any onslaught of diseases. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/486 "2019-02-05T21:26:47Z")
My hypothesis is that many anti-vaxxers just don’t want to see their kids get stabbed by needles, so they latch onto all of these excuses about why getting vaccinated is bad. It’s that phenomenon where people make up reasons to justify behavior that they otherwise can’t explain. This hypothesis is based purely on reading between the lines of discussions with highly educated and scientifically minded anti-vaxxers. Yeah, nobody wants to see their baby get hurt, but come on, she’s already crying because you injected her once, go ahead and inject her again. When I’m a fascist dictator I’ll decree a law that all vaccinations are free, but it will really be a law mandating vaccinations. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/487 "2019-02-05T21:41:16Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > And the ones I know are not environmentalists at all. But they do believe in a very young Earth. That’s another reason why they are homeschooling. Science and medicine just don’t sit well with them. Polls of Republicans and Democrats show that both sides have anti-vaxxers, and about in equal numbers, Until 2016, more Democrats than Republicans were anti-vax, but after Trump’s election it has swung slightly towards Republicans, probably because Trump made some vaguely anti-vax comments during the election. Not everything is partisan, and when people make an issue partisan they immediately cause minds to close and people to line up in their political tribes. This is not helpful. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/488 "2019-02-06T20:54:37Z")
In modern times, anti-vaxxers, like conspiracy theorists and those who peddle misinformation, have a much bigger megaphone with which to spread their falsities. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/489 "2019-02-07T11:48:51Z")
Antivaxxers are conspiracy theorists. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/490 "2019-02-07T15:47:31Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Now that I’ve read [this](https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/07/404963436/scientists-crack-a-50-year-old-mystery-about-the-measles-vaccine?fbclid=IwAR0OUYhnDb9mcx8XuDZU9BuHqCSR4jH2SxDXnpOXIc4hGq1sn6z5s-aebWg), I’m going to make sure I raise it with every anti-vaxxer I meet. > > Measles, it turns out, suppress the immune system for two to three years after infection. And a new theory holds that it also wipes out the immune system’s “memory” of other diseases, so the immunity developed before measles has to be redeveloped. It’s called immune amnesia. > > Of course they’ll refuse to believe it, but I intend to hit 'em with all the science I can. Refusing to vaccinate is child endangerment, in my book. Thanks for the link. It’s good information that could resonate with “vaccine-hesitant” parents. But it’ll just bounce off the wall of denial and misinformation that antivaxers\* have built up around themselves. \*defining “antivaxers” as “those who oppose all or nearly all vaccines, repeatedly pushing false memes no matter how effectively and repeatedly they’ve been debunked, attacking pro-immunization advocates instead of addressing the issues they raise, and relying on conspiracy theories to explain why their anti-vaccine ideology has not been accepted.” ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/491 "2019-02-07T17:38:14Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Thanks for the link. It’s good information that could resonate with “vaccine-hesitant” parents. But it’ll just bounce off the wall of denial and misinformation that antivaxers\* have built up around themselves. > > \*defining “antivaxers” as “those who oppose all or nearly all vaccines, repeatedly pushing false memes no matter how effectively and repeatedly they’ve been debunked, attacking pro-immunization advocates instead of addressing the issues they raise, and relying on conspiracy theories to explain why their anti-vaccine ideology has not been accepted.” Just enhancing the definition a bit: " those who refuse to have their kids vaccinated because the vaccines contain cell lines obtained from aborted fetal tissue from 50 years ago, and even though these immunizations can reduce or prevent sickness and death, the opponents still won’t vaccinate because they believe the whole thing has evil origins and it is therefore inherently wrong no matter what." > **[Is There Really a Connection Between Vaccines and Fetal Tissue?](https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-vaccines-contain-aborted-fetal-tissue-260337)** > > Certain vaccines are made by growing viruses in cells originally obtained from aborted fetuses, which poses ethical concerns for some. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/492 "2019-02-07T20:50:36Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Just enhancing the definition a bit: " those who refuse to have their kids vaccinated because the vaccines contain cell lines obtained from aborted fetal tissue from 50 years ago, and even though these immunizations can reduce or prevent sickness and death, the opponents still won’t vaccinate because they believe the whole thing has evil origins and it is therefore inherently wrong no matter what." Or alternatively: > **[“Aborted fetal tissue” and vaccines: Combining pseudoscience and religion to...](https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/aborted-fetal-tissue-and-vaccines-combining-pseudoscience-and-religion-to-demonize-vaccines-2/)** > > As hard as it is to believe after seven and a half years of existence and nearly 2,400 posts on SBM, every so often, something reminds me that we here at SBM haven't discussed a topic that should “in reality there are only two cell lines used this way, and they are so far removed from the original abortions that even the Catholic Church has told its members that not only is it morally acceptable to use such vaccines, but vaccinating children against deadly diseases is a great good.” or “you need to realize that fear mongering about “fetal parts” in vaccines is, not surprisingly, a distortion of the real situation, which is that the human cell lines are used to make some vaccines. Specifically, the WI-38 cell line is a human diploid fibroblast cell line derived from a three month old fetus aborted therapeutically in 1962 in the US. Another cell line, MRC-5, was derived from lung fibroblasts of a 14 week old fetus in 1966 in the United Kingdom. These are currently the only fetal cell lines used to grow viruses for vaccines” Seriously, fuck anti vaxxers. The best thing about them is they might be improving the gene pool, assuming that their stupid has a genetic component. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/493 "2019-02-09T17:29:58Z")
In response to the measles outbreak: **Washington state weighs vaccination bill as measles outbreak spreads** > **[Washington state weighs vaccination bill as measles outbreak spreads](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-state-weighs-vaccination-bill-as-measles-outbreak-grows/)** > > Cecilia Rodriguez was too young to be vaccinated when she contracted measles. 30 years later, her eye sight, speech and hearing are still affected. Naturally: **Hundreds [anti-vaxxers] rally to preserve right not to vaccinate children amid measles outbreak** > [@](#): > > But opponents of the bill still think the measles vaccine is a bigger threat than the disease itself. > > “I don’t feel I’m putting my child at risk. There’s nothing that’s going to change my mind on this on that specific vaccination,” said mother Monique Murray. > **[Hundreds rally to preserve right not to vaccinate children amid measles outbreak](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-measles-outbreak-hundreds-rally-to-presesrve-not-to-vaccinate-children-2019-02-08/)** > > Washington currently allows parents to refuse vaccines for philosophical reasons ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/494 "2019-02-09T22:46:24Z")
> [@Monique the Protesting Mom](#): > > "There’s nothing that’s going to change my mind on this on that specific vaccination. Too bad no one asked her if there were other vaccines her mind _could_ be changed on. Expect the issue (of ending philosophical exemptions) in the Washington state legislature to be framed as one of “personal choice”, as that’s the current tactic raising a sympathetic response among some (notably Republican) lawmakers - i.e. your choice not to have your kids vaccinated overrides the choice of other parents not to have their kids exposed to infectious diseases. [A leading “choice” group](http://healthchoice.org) is run by a who’s who of antivaxers. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/495 "2019-02-12T01:10:28Z")
This article is about six months old but relevant. > **[Russia trolls 'spreading vaccination misinformation' to create discord](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45294192)** > > Troll accounts that tried to influence the US election also tweeted about vaccines, a study says. > [@](#): > > Social media bots and Russian trolls have been spreading disinformation about vaccines on Twitter to create social discord and distribute malware, US researchers say. Just one more thing that makes me wonder about a lot of the social discord the US has been experiencing in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/496 "2019-02-12T06:04:56Z")
Now that there is media about a disease outbreak, [people are actually bothering to get vaccinated](https://khn.org/news/measles-outbreak-sends-vaccine-demand-soaring-even-among-the-hesitant/). In January 2018 Clark county Washington gave out 530 measles vaccine doses, and in January 2019 it was 3,150. Good on them for the “vaccine hesitant,” and others who are probably just lazy, to actually get vaccinated. Of course, if they had done it a year ago, they wouldn’t be having this problem now. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/497 "2019-02-12T07:01:25Z")
I just had to unfriend an Anti-Vaxer on FaceBook. They were talking about mercury again. I know that there is no link between thimeresol and autism, but I thought it had been taken out anyway. Are there some vaccines that still contain mercury? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/498 "2019-02-12T07:32:44Z")
Thimerosal was taken out of childhood vaccines in the United States in 2001. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines do not and never did contain thimerosal. Varicella (chickenpox), inactivated polio (IPV), and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have also never contained thimerosal. > **[Thimerosal and Vaccines | Vaccine Safety | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/index.html)** > > Thimerosal use in medical products is safe. Many studies show no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines. So, you know, if your dumbass anti-vaxxer friend, relative or co-worker is claiming that it’s the mercury that’s causing Autism and that’s why their children don’t have basic vaccinations, you can show them that they’re [del]ignorant twats[/del] [del]grossly negligent[/del] misinformed. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/499 "2019-02-12T07:38:52Z")
> [@Batano](#): > > I just had to unfriend an Anti-Vaxer on FaceBook. They were talking about mercury again. I know that there is no link between thimeresol and autism, but I thought it had been taken out anyway. Are there some vaccines that still contain mercury? Flu vaccines in multidose containers have it to prevent contamination, but not in single dose syringes. [Cite](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwic9tCS17XgAhUQZawKHTaUDuwQFjACegQIBxAL&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fflu%2Fprotect%2Fvaccine%2Fthimerosal.htm&usg=AOvVaw0AlOV0mAKN3N2v_YM1h7RF) However the mercury in thimerosal is not absorbed by the body. Plus, it has been eliminated from vaccines given to children for a long time now, and the autism rate has not declined. BTW, according to the Times, 110,000 people died of measles in 2017 worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626/500 "2019-02-12T07:39:05Z")
> [@Batano](#): > > I just had to unfriend an Anti-Vaxer on FaceBook. They were talking about mercury again. I know that there is no link between thimeresol and autism, but I thought it had been taken out anyway. Are there some vaccines that still contain mercury? It was removed from most vaccines but is present in trace amounts in two childhood vaccines: DTaP and DTaP Hib. The reason it was removed was not because it was dangerous, but because the CDC decided that reducing the overall exposure of children to mercury would be a good preventative step. Canned Atlantic salmon, for instance, contains about 40 mg. of mercury. The two vaccines above contain less than 1 mg. But even if thimeresol were removed entirely, the anti-vaxxers wouldn’t believe it. The CDC and FDA are both in on the conspiracy, don’t you know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-vaxxers-are-ignorant-scumbags-that-kill-children/764626.md?page=26)