items of interest

with contributions from John Dalla Costa

More and more parents are questioning the number and type of vaccinations that their children receive. State laws may require children to have up to thirty-four doses of nine or ten different vaccines, if they are to attend day care and public schools. Although medical and religious exemptions are available, they are not always easy to get, even with a doctor's consent.

Located in Virginia, the National Vaccine Information Center seeks to provide parents with accurate information and assistance regarding vaccine safety. It also campaigns for the right of parents to make intelligent choices about their children's health care.

NVIC president Barbara Loe Fisher explains, "Because the right to informed consent is the central ethical premise in the practice of modern medicine, we endorse the same informed consent right to vaccination which governs all other medical procedures carrying a risk of injury or death."

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