Parental Narratives of Vaccination Practices in the State of Oregon

74 pagesIn public health, vaccines are widely regarded as the most effective protection method against communicable diseases and are credited with greatly reducing incidence of diseases and their serious effects. That being said, there is a growing community of individuals who continually question the safety and efficacy of vaccines and subsequently choose to not vaccinate their children and instead claim non-medical exemption. In the state of Oregon, the 2017-2018 K-12 non-medical exemption rate was 4%, compared to the national average of 2%. Thus, as a means of exploring this complex issue, three interviews were conducted with parents who live in Oregon, do not vaccinate their children and claim non-medical exemption. These interviews were analyzed through an interdisciplinary approach, combining historical and social contexts and perspectives as a means of better understanding the drivers of vaccine refusal. It was found that in interviews with this subset of parents, there were three main themes which emerged: historical similarities of arguments against vaccination during the 1800s and the present; feelings of little to no of autonomy due to mandated, compulsory vaccination; and distrust of government and pharmaceutical companies