Recently, many parents have refused to vaccinate their children due to religious reasons or the fear of receiving autism. However, science suggests that vaccines should be mandatory to counter the increase of sick, contagious students, who may go to school and spread diseases to healthy students.

Religious beliefs are among the main reasons that some people reject immunizations. However, these beliefs might not actually have any religious basis. The Arizona Partnership for Immunization states that the only major faith that specifically opposes vaccinations is the Dutch Reformed Church, which believes that vaccines “interfere with the relationship with their god.”

“I do believe in religious freedom,” says Mrs. Mary Stump, a registered nurse teaching Global Health. “However, many parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children citing religious beliefs, when in fact, they don’t want their children vaccinated for other reasons.”

Several other major religions, including other sects of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam, have nothing against vaccinations and actually support them. This means that those supported by religious beliefs are fewer than it might seem, making mandatory vaccinations a more viable option.

Another major concern for vaccine opponents is the belief that they can cause Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children. Contrary to that claim, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that there is no link between receiving vaccinations and developing autism.

In fact, when children are vaccinated at a young age and their immune systems are exposed to the bacteria or virus, their bodies build up a stronger immunity against those diseases in the future and prevent its transmission to others.

“The benefits to vaccines are that they protect many, many people from contagious, infectious diseases,” said Allied Health teacher Mrs. Doris McConnell, “it could be a lifesaver for some with low or abnormal immunity systems. I don’t really see a negative effect to vaccines.”

Deadly diseases that once ended lives has been eradicated or are close to elimination because of the use of life-saving vaccinations. With the effective use of vaccinations, Smallpox, a contagious disease that killed 300 to 500 million people, was declared eradicated by World Health Organization due to a global immunization campaign. Other diseases, such as Measles, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis, and Polio are also on the path to eradication with low fatality rates due to global vaccines.

While some may argue that vaccinations shouldn’t be mandatory because of a fear autism and religious excuses, science has proven that their benefits far outweigh any hypothetical cost. Mandatory vaccinations have proven their importance in aiding the process of eliminating the spread of dangerous diseases.