An excellent summary of all the reasons why vaccination is a must, and why the anti-vaccination argument is more conspiracy theory than it has anything to do with reason.

However, there is one anti-vaccer argument which I think was not sufficiently replied to:

They say that if other people’s children are vaccinated, there’s no need for their children to get vaccinated.

The response in the article was that this is “one of the most despicable arguments” to be heard on the subject, which is true, but there was one aspect not covered.

Effectively, this one argument expresses the contemptibly selfish nature of the anti-vaccers.

It admits that there are benefits to vaccines (contrary to some of their own arguments), benefits which they believe are won at the cost of the risks they falsely perceive.

It admits that “herd immunity” exists, something which is put at risk, often severe risk, by the anti-vaccers themselves.

But here’s the particularly reprehensible part: even from their own perspective, the anti-vaccers are willing to let all the other kids take all the risks so that their kids can be safe, while at the same time weakening the herd immunity and placing all children at greater risk.

If I were an anti-vaccer, I would probably skip making this argument.