Argumentative Essay
Topic:
Vaccinations
General Purpose:
To argue
Specific Purpose:
I want to argue why vaccinations should be mandatory for everybody of all ages.
Thesis Statement:
The Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory for everybody because: (1) vaccines are designed to protect us and others from certain diseases; (2) vaccines are one of the easiest ways to protect our health; and (3) despite my opposition’s claim, vaccines are not unsafe.
Introduction
Attention Getter: Did you get your flu shot this year?
- Vaccines are used worldwide to prevent illnesses and death caused by diseases.
- Whether you believe in vaccines or not, vaccines have been proven to help eliminate certain diseases from the population over time.
Establish Controversy: Today I will argue that the Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory for everybody of all ages.
A. Controversy:
The anti-vaccine movement has always been around. I feel like it’s become a bigger controversy due to the internet and social media.
People have always feared vaccines due to the myths of vaccines cause death or serious side effects.
The anti-vaccine movement goes as far back as the 18th century when Reverend Edmund Massey of England considered vaccines as “diabolical operations” in his 1722 sermon. In his sermon, Reverend Edmund describes vaccines as an attempt to oppose God’s punishments upon man for his sins (Bazin, 2001).
B. Controversy.
You can easily see the debate between pro-vaccination vs. anti-vaccination on the internet and social media. Facebook groups are even created for people who prefer either movement to discuss their beliefs regarding vaccinations.
People who are against vaccinations are known as “anti-vaxxers”. Some reasons for the opposition of vaccines include religious beliefs, risks outweigh benefits, and autism (Boulanger & Gotter, 2016).
Groups like Voices for Vaccines, an organization led by parents with the help of health officials work to bring information supporting the need for vaccinations. Their goal is to offer parents reliable information regarding the safety and importance of vaccinations (Voices for Vaccines, 2015).
I stand with the pro-vaccination group. I think getting vaccinations is important and I will argue that the Federal Government should make it mandatory for everybody.
Credibility Statement:
I work in the medical field and am familiar with vaccinations. People are free to be pro-vaccination or anti-vaccination. I thought this would be a good controversial topic to discuss.
Preview/Thesis Statement:
Today I will present to you three reasons why the Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory.
Body
Transition:
To start, I will first argue that the Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory for everybody because vaccines protect us and others from certain diseases.
Constructive Argument:
Vaccines are designed to protect us and other people from contracting certain diseases.
- A. There is a current problem with people getting their vaccinations due to vaccination hesitancy. This makes tackling vaccine-preventable diseases hard on the population.
Vaccines currently prevent 2-3 million deaths a year and 1.5 million could be avoided if more people got their vaccinations. (World Health Organization, 2019).
Vaccine hesitancy includes the public distrust in vaccinations. This means the population is taking a step back in eliminating preventable diseases.
In some places, vaccine hesitancy has the power to hinder the progress we made in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases. (Roberts, 2019).
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- B. [Solution] Making vaccinations mandatory for everybody can minimize an outbreak for vaccine-preventable diseases.
These vaccines were created to prevent certain diseases. The risk of these diseases increases when people don’t get their vaccinations.
Vaccines not only protect you, but it also protects the people around you such as those who don’t meet the age requirement for a certain vaccine or the immunosuppressed whose immune system can’t handle the vaccine itself.
Transition:
Making vaccinations mandatory for everybody will help minimize an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases by protecting yourself and others from contracting them. We have seen the United States measles outbreak due to low vaccination. Mandatory vaccinations will prevent this from happening further.
Constructive Argument:
The Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory for everybody because vaccines are cost-effective.
- A. Vaccines save lives and they can save money too.
It’s cheaper to prevent a disease than to treat it. The routine childhood immunization in one child saves $13.6 billion in direct cost. Every dollar spent on childhood vaccinations has saved $18.40 (Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, 2019).
The public can also inquire about expenses from those who aren’t vaccinated. This is known as “indirect costs”.
It can cost our public health departments approximately $10,000 per day to contain an outbreak from a preventable disease (Naprawa, 2015).
The average outbreak control period is 18 days; that will cost the public $180,000 to control a disease that could have been prevented through vaccinations (Naprawa, 2015).
- B. [Solution] Making vaccinations mandatory for everybody will save public money.
Treating the disease will be costly due to doctor visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. It will cost the public less money on preventing the disease than it will cost treating the disease.
Treating someone who is sick is expensive, and the sicker they get, the worse those costs can become. Diseases that cause death or disability require lifelong treatment. Not only is the treatment for the disease expensive, but death and disability can reduce or eliminate the person’s lifetime earnings (Loria, 2014).
Transition:
The Federal Government making vaccinations mandatory for everybody can help minimize the cost of health expenses to the public. Diseases preventable by vaccinations will save the public money from hospitalizations and doctor visits.
Refutative Argument:
I will disprove the counterargument that vaccinations are unsafe and ineffective.
First, vaccines are held to a very high standard because they are given to millions of people to prevent serious diseases.
Vaccines go through years of safety testing. They are tested and evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, known as the FDA. When they meet the safety standards then they are recommended for use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the CDC (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2017).
Before a vaccine is ever available for use to the public, it’s tested in labs. This process can take years. All safety concerns must be addressed before the FDA licenses a vaccine. After approval, it continues to be tested. The company needs to make sure the vaccine is potent meaning it’s working like it’s supposed to, pure meaning certain ingredients have been removed during production, and sterile meaning it doesn’t contain any outside germs. After it’s licensed and ready for use, it continues to be monitored (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2017).
Secondly, vaccines work to reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to develop immunity.
Vaccines work by training the immune system to recognize and fight pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. For this to work, antigens from the pathogen must be introduced in the body to trigger a response (Public Health, 2019).
By injecting antigens into the body, the immune system can learn to recognize them as invaders, produce antibodies, and remember them for the future. If the bacteria or viruses appear again, the immune system will recognize these antigens and attack them aggressively before they can cause sickness. (Public Health, 2019).
- C. It is better for someone to get vaccinated than to not get vaccinated. Vaccinations are created to help our immune system become stronger and make us less prone to infections.
- D. Research has shown vaccinations are safe and effective. They are regulated and monitored even after the vaccine has been licensed. They are designed to protect us and others from diseases. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).
- E. Vaccines are considered safe and effective. They are held to high standards by the FDA and CDC.
Transition:
It is clear the opposition of vaccines is based on misinformation regarding vaccinations and not the facts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Federal Government should make vaccinations mandatory for everybody for three reasons.
- First, vaccines are designed to protect us and others from preventable-diseases.
- Second, vaccines are cost-effective by eliminating hospitalizations and doctor visits.
- Finally, vaccinations are considered safe and effective by the testing and monitoring they go through.
It’s time that vaccinations be completely mandatory and help decrease preventable-diseases from becoming outbreaks across the country.
Work’s Cited
- Bazin, H. (2001). The ethics of vaccine usage in society: lessons from the past. Endeavour, 25(3), 104-108.
- Boulanger, A. & Gotter, A. (2016). Understanding opposition to vaccines. Healthline.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Understanding how vaccines work. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf
- Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition. (2019). Fact or fiction: Benefits vs. risks. Immunize for Good. Retrieved from http://www.immunizeforgood.com/fact-or-fiction/benefits-vs.-risks
- Loria, K. (2014). 7 undeniable reasons opposition to vaccines is deadly and backwards. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/vaccines-save-millions-of-lives-and-billions-of-dollars-2014-9
- Naprawa, A. Z. (2015). Vaccines save more than lives. University of California Berkeley Wellness. Retrieved from https://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-community/contagious-disease/health-care-policy/article/vaccines-save-more-lives
- Public Health. (2019). How vaccines work. Retrieved from https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccines-work/
- Roberts, M. (2019). Vaccines: Low trust in vaccination ‘a global crisis’. BCC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48512923
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2017). Vaccine safety. Retrieved from https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/safety
- Voices for Vaccines. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/
- World Health Organization. (2019). Ten threats to global health in 2019. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/emergencies/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019
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