Proposal Assignment
Childhood vaccination is a subject that has been in the news and hotly debated over the past years in mass media and science journals, especially whether or not they are safe for children. Proponents of vaccination argue that vaccines are responsible for the health, safety, and lower mortality rates for children globally. They believe that any benefits vaccines provide far outweigh the possible risks. People who are against vaccines include celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and others who believe that vaccines are responsible for autism, do not really prevent diseases, expose children to toxins leading to lifelong disabilities, and that good sanitation and the natural development of immunity are much safer alternatives. Proponents of vaccination argue that vaccines are a globally important health measure, while detractors believe it is an issue of personal choice and safety. However, in spite of the safety questions and celebrity campaigns against vaccination in the past few years, vaccines remain an important part of childhood safety not only in the United States, but also around the world.
The audience for this research paper are American future parents or new parents. Considering the amount of press that childhood vaccination receives, couples considering having a child or new parents may question the safety and effectiveness of vaccination. This audience will be looking for the pros and cons of the subject of childhood vaccination so that they can make an informed decision about vaccination before their children are born. This audience expects up-to-date information from trusted sources to help them understand the issue and not just anecdotal hearsay about vaccination safety issues. Although some of the audience may be educated, being so is not necessary for understanding the points made in this paper.
Purpose:
The purpose of this research paper will help future and new parents to evaluate the safety of childhood vaccinations and to persuade them that vaccination is in the best interest of their children. It will provide information from and discussion about current resources about childhood vaccinations from a variety of sources. This paper will aim to dispel some of the most common rumors that new and future parents may worry about when it comes to childhood vaccination and replace those rumors with facts from trustworthy sources. By the time a new or future parent finishes reading this paper, they will hopefully be convinced that vaccination is the best option for their children. However, if they are still not sure, they will at least be armed with enough sound information from good sources that they will be able to make a list of questions that will help them confirm that vaccination is in the best interest of their children.
Sources:
Adams, Mike. Major Celebrities Backing up Dr. Wakefield, Fighting Against Vaccines. The Kevin Trudeau Show: KT Radio Network, 8 Feb. 2010. Web.
Ellison, Shane. Herd Immunity: Three Reasons Why I Don’t Vaccinate My Children And Why Vaccine Supporters Shouldn’t Care. The People’s Chemist, 2012. Web.
Gershoff, Andrew D. and Koehler, Jonathan J. Safety First? The Role of Emotion in Safety Product Betrayal Aversion. Journal of Consumer Research 38.1 (Jun. 2011): 140-150. Print.
Godlee, Fiona, Smith, Jane, and Marcovitch, Harvey. Wakefield’s article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent. BMJ Group, 6 Jan. 2011. Web.
Lifesaving Child Immunization and Vaccination. UNICEF, n.d. Web. Accessed 19 Mar. 2013.
The Harm of Skipping Vaccinations or Delaying. New York State Department of Health, n.d. Web. Accessed 20 Mar. 2013.
Vaccination Is the Best Protection. HealthyChildren.org: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008. Web.
Why Immunize? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Mar. 2012. Web.
Schedule:April 1-12: Reading and Review of \Sources.
It is important to have a thorough understanding of the information included in each source and to do additional research if necessary in order to understand the contents of the sources. Notes will be taken and possible valuable quotes will be highlighted.
April 13-19: Outline and Rough Draft:
After reviewing the sources, an outline will be created in order to create a logical format for arguing persuasively about the importance of childhood vaccination. The outline will also include a thesis statement in order to provide focus. A rough draft will be written according to the outline.
April 20-30: Revisions and Peer Review
A careful review of the rough draft will reveal problems and the paper, for instance, incomplete arguments, unexplained refutes, as well as spelling and grammatical errors. It will be helpful at this point to have someone else read over the paper to offer constructive criticism. Then, a final draft can be written for submission.
May 1, 2013: Submission of Final Draft
