Writing

Jane Student

July 1, 2017

ENGL 1302

Annotated Bibliography

“Anti-Vaccination Crazies Strike out in Bible Belt States.” Newsweek Global, 27 June 2014, pp.

1-6. Newspaper Source, www.ebscohost.com.

This article compares the states with tougher vaccination laws to many other states in the

nation who have become more lenient in recent years with their laws. In 2014, the nation

experienced a “20-year high” of measles, which came after an announcement that the disease

was eliminated in 2000. The article compares states like Mississippi and West Virginia, which

require any child entering kindergarten to receive all of their vaccinations – no exceptions – to

states like Colorado where “whooping cough was found to be 90% more common” due to very

high vaccination exemption rates. This article lays forth many other useful facts and figures

while also helping to display both sides of the argument that is being presented. The author

includes quotes from healthcare professionals that are responding to a parent’s reasoning for not

vaccinating her children.

I believe this article will be very helpful to present the “they say, I say” of my topic. It is

important to incorporate opposition, and I felt that this article allowed me to understand a little

bit more behind the thinking of the opposition. However, due to many facts presented in the

article, such as “exemption rates have doubled between 2006 and 2011,” followed by the effects

of the increase, I have a firm foundation for my thesis on the effects of the anti-vaccination

movement.

Foster, Melissa and Colleen Zacharyczuk. "AAP Focuses on Boosting Immunization Rates."

Infectious Diseases in Children, vol. 23, no. 9, Sept. 2010, pp. 30-31. Academic Search

Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

This particular article began as a summary of an event held in Times Square aimed at

gaining support for vaccinating children. The event involved the community to make them more

aware of the dangers of not vaccinating children. However, the event was set up to appeal to the

general public, but in the process, the message may have gotten lost. The illustration of the event

was used to fully explain the emotional appeal that a new parent may be hearing from the anti-

vaccination movement compared to scientific data showing that many curable diseases are on the

rise. The author claims that vaccination rates are cyclical. When they are at high levels, most

parents are fully supportive, but when it reaches a peak, many parents begin to believe that

vaccinations are a matter faith.

This article will be very helpful as I try to include more of a naysayer perspective into my

argument. The author brings up many other causes for the increase of many diseases that may

have been eradicated in previous decades. In addition, the author discusses the history behind the

anti-vaccination movement. Although this article does relieve some responsibility from the anti-

vaccination movement, the base of the article is written to gain support for the need to boost

immunization rates, which ultimately aligns with my argument.

Rhys, Blakely. “Measles Infects Race for White House.” The Times. 4 Feb. 2015, pp. 32-34.

Newspaper Source, www.ebscohost.com.

This article, found in The Times, outlines how the debate on the anti-vaccination

movement permeated the election cycle this year. The author cites occasions when many

political candidates were asked about the anti-vaccination movement and how their answers

swayed sets of voters. Chris Christie leaned towards the right to choose whether to vaccinate

children, and Hillary Clinton took to Twitter to align anti-vaccination movement participants

with the people in our society who do not use science as legitimate reason, such as those who do

not believe in climate change. In addition, this article cites the many motivators for those who

have a stake in this argument. Many people are motivated by science, some parents are

motivated by guilt, and many politicians and medical companies are motivated by their own

agenda.

I believe this article is going to be beneficial as I try to argue that the effects of the anti-

vaccination movement reach beyond children and their parents. This article and the author show

that the anti-vaccination movement has involved many more people that are well known within

our society. In addition, this article shows that there are different rationales behind supporting the

anti-vaccination movement. From my perspective, I gained much more insight into the

politicians and medical professionals that were cited, and how they have entered into this

particular debate.

Whelan, Allison M. "Lowering the Age of Consent: Pushing Back against the Anti-Vaccine

Movement." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, vol. 44, no. 3, 2016, pp. 462-473.

Academic Search Complete, www.ebscohost.com.

This article focused on the effects of the HPV vaccination, which is not a vaccination that

is mandatory for a child to attend public schools. However, there has been much debate whether

this particular vaccination is mandatory for children when they reach a certain age. “Lowering

the Age of Consent” reminds the readers of the history of the anti-vaccination movement and the

history of the legislation behind it, which is beneficial to cross check other publications and their

account of the history. However, this particular article offered a bit more insight into the

legislative approach and regulations surrounding the anti-vaccination movement. Also, the article

outlined the consequences for society as the anti-vaccination movement has continued to gain

traction.

For me, personally, the consequences are going to be the most helpful piece of writing

within this article. Many of the articles I have read continue to look at the current effects of the

anti-vaccination movement, but this article will be very beneficial to me as I try and craft looking

to the future and the many issues we may face, as a society, if we do not begin to recognize the

effects now. This article seems to be a great resource because it covers the many facets of this

argument that have culminated over many years.