This is a controversial yet very important topic that has, within the past couple of years, been discussed greatly. Obviously, people are entitled to their own opinions, but if you are a parent and you have chosen not to vaccinate your child, I just have to ask why.

When you are a parent, you are given the responsibility to make decisions about your children's health. About sixty years ago, parents knew about the dangers of different diseases (ex. polio, measles) and knew children who died from these diseases. Nowadays, parents do not understand the seriousness of these diseases and how deadly they can be. They don't understand the importance of these vaccines that doctors provide to protect their children from these deadly vaccines.

The main reason why parents are afraid to give their kids vaccines is that they believe that it can cause their child to have autism. This is a false claim. Multiple studies have been conducted and all of them end up with the same result: there is no evidence linking vaccines to autism.

So, parents, I employ you. Please vaccinate your children.

Not only are you putting your own child at risk of getting a disease, but also, are putting the children that your child interacts with at risk. Diseases can spread very easily and it starts with one unvaccinated child who plays with his friends. His friends get infected and the disease spreads from there. I mean, we've all seen Planet of the Apes right?

Some diseases that killed thousands and even millions have been eradicated completely all due to vaccines. For example, smallpox was completely eradicated due to the creation of the smallpox vaccine. Our children don't have to get smallpox vaccines anymore because the disease no longer exists. If we continue vaccinating now, parents in the future can trust that some diseases of today will no longer be around. We can make sure that our children grow up happy and healthy.