Dialogue/Story
Jonas: Hi, Jenny. Are you getting your kids ready for school, too?
Jenny: Yes, as you can see, we’re buying lots of school supplies.
Jonas: Did you get the school letter reminding parents to submit proof of immunization before the first day of school? I know that your youngest is starting school this year.
Jenny: Yes, she is, but I’m thinking of getting an exemption. I’m not sure vaccines are safe and I don’t want to take a chance with her health.
Jonas: The immunizations required by the school are standard – measles, mumps, chicken pox, polio – all vaccines your other children have had.
Jenny: But when I looked at the list, there were a few I didn’t recognize – diphtheria, hepatitis, and rubella. Who knows what our kids are getting!
Jonas: The ones you mentioned are standard, too. Don’t you remember the outbreak of whooping cough last year? If our kids had been immunized, they wouldn’t have gotten sick.
Jenny: I’ve read somewhere that vaccines might be dangerous. I just don’t want to jeopardize their future.
Jonas: That’s precisely what you’d be doing if you opted out of immunizations.
Jenny: Why’s that?
Jonas: Because your children won’t be getting an education. The school is barring any children who don’t get immunized from attending school.
Jenny: I call that irresponsible!
Jonas: That’s exactly the word that came to my mind.
Category: Education|Health + Medicine
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