Via The Guardian: 'God knows how I’m alive': how a teen defied his parents to get vaccinated. Excerpt:
Last November, Ohio teen Ethan Lindenberger entered a subcommunity on Reddit called “No Stupid Questions” and wrote:
“Now that I’m 18, where do I go to get vaccinated?”
While a teen getting routine shots is an unremarkable event for most families, Lindenberger was raised to believe that vaccines cause brain damage, autism and other developmental issues. But nearing the end of high school, he had come to think differently. And he needed advice:
“As the title explains, my parents think vaccines are some kind of government scheme. It’s stupid and I’ve had countless arguments over the topic. But, because of their beliefs I’ve never been vaccinated for anything, god knows how I’m still alive. But, i’m a senior in high school now with a car, a license, and money of my own I’d assume that I can get them on my own but I’ve just never had a conversation with anyone about the subject”.
Lindenberger’s Reddit post made headlines across the United States as a measles outbreak in Washington state refueled debates around the small, but energetic anti-vaccination movement in the country. The social media post gave people hope that those raised to believe unfounded claims about vaccines could change their minds and make a different decision than their parents.
Close to two dozen teens and young adults have reached out to him on Reddit and Instagram since journalists began writing about him, Lindenberg told the Guardian. But there’s no evidence indicating a wave of children are defying their parents to get vaccinated.
Though it’s too soon to say whether more young adults will follow in Lindenberger’s footsteps, the teen’s story and the response to it have helped dispel the monolithic image of the anti-vaxx community, and have provided public health officials with clues on how to better approach those hesitant of vaccines.
