Each parent must decide whether or not to vaccinate their child. The medical community supports vaccinating children, which will contribute to herd immunity and aid in the eradication of preventable diseases. However, there are also arguments to be made against vaccination. People are finding that vaccines do not provide long-term protection and are less effective than developing immunity through a natural defense process. Vaccines provide unnecessary exposure to toxins that may be linked to developmental delays. Furthermore, some of the side effects and complications associated with various vaccines are proving to be more harmful than the disease processes they are designed to fight. Many parents are weighing the costs versus the benefits of vaccinations and deciding it's not worth the risk. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the potential for vaccination to cause reactions ranging from swelling and pain at the injection site to life-threatening. anaphylactic shock, brain and immune system damage resulting in permanent disabilities. “Because vaccine-fighted diseases are no longer the leading causes of death in the United States, much greater attention is instead being paid to the risks that vaccinations present.” (Calandrillo, 2004, p. 14) Vaccines are said to work by activating the body's natural immunity. By injecting weak or dead infectious agents through the skin, the body will recognize invading pathogens and create the necessary immune defense. Even though this idea is over two hundred years old, it is not as effective as we are led to believe. Vaccines boost our defenses only temporarily. Research has shown that the historical decline in infectious diseases was not the result of inocu...... half of article ......Briss, P. A. (1994). SUSTAINED TRANSMISSION OF MUMPS IN A HIGHLY VACCINATED POPULATION: ASSESSMENT OF PRIMARY VACCINE FAILURE AND WAIN OF VACCINE-INDUCED IMMUNITY. Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. doi:10.1097/00006454-199409000-00031Calandrillo, S.P. (2004). Vaccinations endangered: why do so many Americans give up vaccinating their children? University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 37(353), 1-78. Chemist Gives 3 Reasons Not to Get Vaccinated and Provides Vaccine Exemption Forms for All States | ThePeoplesChemist.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://thepeopleschemist.com/reasons-dont-vaccinate-children-vaccine-supporters-shouldnt-giveShannon, US National Institutes of Health, JA (2004). Vaccination: what you need to know; The only safe vaccine is the one that is never used. Vaccine Risk Awareness Network Inc, 1-12. Retrieved from www.vran.org