Anti-Vaxxers Plea For Media & Public To Stop Using The “Derogatory” Label
A text post is going viral on social media amongst moms who are refusing to give their children life-saving vaccinations due to perceived risks. The meme begs for the media and other parties to stop calling “vaccine risk aware” people “anti-vaxxers,” claiming that the latter label is “derogatory, inflammatory, and marginalizes both women and their experiences.”
The post continues, “It is dismissively simplistic, highly offensive and largely false.” The post seems to originate from a blog called Crazymothers.info, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization “dedicated to spreading vaccine injury and recovery awareness,” according to their mission statement. It appears that they want mothers to “gain true informed consent” so that vaccinations are by choice and not a requirement.
Dear Media,
Please retire the use of the term ”Anti-vaxxer.” It is derogatory, inflammatory, and marginalizes both women and their experiences. It is dismissivemy simplistic, highly offensive and largely false. We politely request that you refer to us as the Vaccine Risk Aware. pic.twitter.com/WtAyFOhLuv— Crazymothers (@Crazymothers1) December 1, 2019
Unfortunately, the “decision” to vaccinate has lead to a worldwide spike in measles, which had previously almost been eradicated thanks to the vaccines. In fact, news broke just today that Samoa arrested an “anti-vaccine activist” due to the 140,000+ people who died of measles last year — most of whom were under the age of five-years-old, according to ABC News.
These so-called vaccine-risk-aware individuals believe that vaccines are responsible for a host of health “problems” common today including AHDH and asthma. Additionally, some anti-vaxxers allege that vaccinations cause autism, which many criticize as increasing the stigma against neurodivergent individuals. That, compounded with a lack of true research behind the perceived risks of vaccinations, has lead to the public shaming associated with being an anti-vaxxer.
Naturally, the majority population got a hold of the text post being spread by Crazymothers and had a field day with alternatives for the label “anti-vaxxer.”
How about pro-disease?
— (un)friendly PharmD, BCPS (@iamkissedbyfire) December 6, 2019
It should be retired and replaced with the terms ”pro-disease,” ”pro-epidemic,” and ”pro-preventable death.” For now it remains anti-vaxxer. Don’t be like @Crazymothers1. Vaccinate your kids.
— Andrew Wortman (@AmoneyResists) December 3, 2019
Others fired at the creators of the post for being tone-deaf about actual lived experiences of discrimination and misogyny.
I guess on top of not understanding vaccines, you also don't understand marginalization or misogyny.
— 🇺🇸 Buttigieg is a Republican 🇺🇸 Schindler (@pluckylump) December 3, 2019
One last thing: vaccinate your kids.