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Hi, my question is: Vaccinations have animal products in them (info from "living without" magazine) what is your opinion on this issue? I have waited to vaccinate my child because allergic reactions from vaccinations run in our family. I am now researching which ones are the most important and am working with a vaccine expert/doctor. That is how I found out about the ingredients (ugh!!) contained in them. My child is 9. Thanks for any input. -Chandra

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Dear Chandra,
Before I even had children I began to research vaccines. I had intended to vaccinate my children and never really gave it a second thought, but one day my husband said he'd read something about vaccines containing animal ingredients. My research began.

Indeed I was able to confirm that vaccines do contain animal ingredients. As a vegan, I was appalled, but I also figured I would have to choose the lesser of two evils: Did I want to vaccinate my vegan children with vaccines that contained animal products or did I want them to get polio? I was afraid they would contract a fatal disease if I did not vaccinate them.

So I began to research the effectiveness of vaccines. Some of the books I read suggested that vaccines were not really that effective in preventing the diseases they claimed to. Intrigued, I continued researching the issue, attended lectures given by respected scientists, and talked about the issue with people whose children had been permanently damaged by vaccines. I also read Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's book, "How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor" which included a section on why vaccines are not a good option for your children, and how to take care of your children if they come down with measles, mumps, chicken pox, etc.

In the end, after 2 years of research, my husband and I decided not to vaccinate our children. We felt that there was little chance they would contract a fatal disease and we did not want to inject harmful substances into their bodies without a guarantee that a disease would actually be prevented. In fact, we believed that injecting harmful substances into their bodies would actually cause more damage to their health than protecting them from a disease.

It's a very personal choice whether to vaccinate your children or not. I highly suggest you do your own research on the issue so you can arrive at a decision you're totally comfortable with. Also view our list of recommended reading on this topic: http://www.vegfamily.com/lists/vaccines.htm. It's been an eye-opening experience for me.

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