CALLING THE SHOTS Why Parents Reject Vaccines

Show Guest: Jennifer Reich

“In 2015, California lawmakers voted to approve SB 277, a bill that ends granting vaccine exemptions to parents who cite personal or religious reasons; medical exemptions are still allowed. This ruling came as a huge blow to the powerful anti-vaccination movement, but after 147 people contracted measles at Disneyland in late 2014, the decision was clear. In order to prevent a widespread outbreak of measles, mumps, and rubella, the national vaccination rate must be between 96% and 99%. Immunizations against childhood illnesses are touted as one of the greatest achievements in modern medicine, so why would parents rather risk their child contracting a deadly virus than simply receiving a round of vaccinations?

Sociologist Jennifer A. Reich spent over a decade studying the phenomenon of vaccine refusal and interviewing everyone involved, from the of parents who distrust vaccines and the corporations that make them, to the health providers and policy makers who see them as essential to ensuring community health. Placing these stories in dialogue with those of pediatricians who see the devastation vaccine-preventable diseases can cause and the policy makers who aim to create healthy communities, Calling the Shots offers a unique opportunity to understand the points of disagreement on what is best for children, communities, and public health and the opportunities to bridge these differences.