Your Rights
During birth, medical professionals are trained to move expediently, often carrying out tasks so briskly you may not know what’s going on. The more aware you are ahead of time the more at peace you will be with the process.
The precious moments following childbirth should be peaceful, serene, and an important bonding time with the baby.
Most moms have visions of cradling their tiny, newborn, getting to know one another with skin-to-skin contact, and eye to eye contact.
This does not always happen.
I recently had a friend tell me that her daughter’s baby was swooped up to be weighed, bathed, and administered two shots, which she did not know about, in advance. The shots were administered without informed consent or even discussion. Both are your rights as a parent: informed consent, and a discussion.
Your Options
So YES, you have the right to question everything, give consent or deny it, but as it relates to
vaccines, it’s critical to be informed on a few things.
4 Consent Options
- You can consent to the suggested CDC vaccine regimen.
- You can consent to some vaccines and not others of your choice.
- You can consent to spreading out the timeline in which the regimen takes place.
- You can refuse all vaccines.
Should you have concerns about the notion that if you choose options 2, 3 or 4, that your child won’t be allowed in school, let’s arm you in this department as well. Most states allow for vaccine waivers, and some even offer a variation of waiver types.
Waiver Type Examples: Medical, Religious, and/or Philosophical Waivers.
For more information on the available waivers in your state, visit NVIC.org.
