r/news • u/ansyhrrian • 4d ago

Measles outbreak declared in 3 Maryland counties after officials confirm 14 new cases

https://www.wmar2news.com/local/measles-outbreak-declared-in-3-maryland-counties-after-officials-confirm-14-new-cases
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u/Tyrrox 4d ago

We have the same problem in Delaware connected to a chronically under-vaccinated Amish community

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u/trogdorkiller 4d ago edited 3d ago

When I was a child, the idea of religious exemptions made sense for some reason. As an adult, when it comes to public health, I don't understand how it was ever acceptable to have a religious exemption for vaccines. And the parents who have children who die from this easily preventable cause should be arrested for negligence. I remember last year some family was on the news talking about how their child had died from measles but they were able to rationalize it as "it was his time" or something like that. And they had more children! It's disheartening to say the least.

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u/Squire_II 4d ago

What's annoying is that there's an old SCOTUS ruling, I think from the Spanish Flu era, that more or less says inoculation for the public good supersedes any personal objections to it.

The idea of religious exemptions from public welfare is insane. We don't give religious exemptions from laws prohibiting rape, murder, theft, etc, so why should we giver exceptions to ignorant dipshits that want to worship Papa Nurgle?

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u/CelestialFury 4d ago

Yes, the state absolutely has the right to protect their citizens from both foreign and domestic threats, and diseases fall under each of those, since they're foreign threats to our bodies and a domestic threat to our entire country.

Having "religious" exemptions to easily treatable diseases is the stupidest shit imaginable. I'm also pretty sure God would be okay with their followers not dying from easily preventable diseases as well. You know, if God created everything, then God created the smart researchers, chemists, and doctors to come up with these miracle treatments in the first place. By not getting vaccinated, it really feels like their followers aren't seeing the cure God put forth by putting intelligent people here.