I'm finally getting vaccinated. But not because of your shaming

My liberal, new-age parents decided not to vaccinate me when I was a child. I’ve been judged a public health risk all my life for a decision I didn’t make

For the past 23 years, I’ve closely guarded an embarrassing secret: I was not vaccinated.

In my younger years, the fact that I was unvaccinated never registered as an issue. I didn’t understand the public health implications of vaccines and, even more, I didn’t understand how unorthodox it was for my parents to have chosen not to vaccinate me. Like any kid, I just wanted to fit in; so when kids in my class talked about their yearly flu shots, I would simply nod along, pretending I understood their annual agony.

Continue reading...