It's no secret that whether or not children should be required to get vaccinations is a heated debate. Some parents worry that vaccines could cause problems in previously healthy kids and others see vaccines as the best way to make sure their children stay healthy, and are protected from spreadable diseases like the measles.
So it's no surprise that one pediatrician's angry rant about treating kids who's parents refuse to have them vaccinated has gone viral, even though he originally posted his argument in 2015.
Mike Ginsberg, who is a pediatrician from Vacaville, California, according to BuzzFeed, posted to his Facebook page nearly two years ago claiming that he would no longer accept patients whose parents didn't vaccinate, or didn't vaccinate on time according to the recommended immunization schedule.
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His post was picked up by a Facebook page called Skeptics' Guide to the Universe and went viral. Now, that post has resurfaced and is making it's way around the internet again.
"In my practice you will vaccinate and you will vaccinate on time," Ginsberg wrote in the post. "You will not get your own 'spaced-out' schedule that increases your child's risk of illness or adverse event. I will not have measles-shedding children sitting in my waiting room."
Ginsberg continues to write that he is happy to explain the benefits of vaccination to parents and answer any questions they might have, but if they refuse to vaccinate their kids then they are not welcome at his practice. He also threatens to file reports with Child Protective Services on anyone who doesn't vaccinate, citing medical neglect.
"I have patients who are premature infants with weak hearts and lungs," he wrote. "I have kids with complex congenital heart disease ... In short I have patients who have true special needs and true health issues who could suffer severe injury or death because of your magical belief that your kid is somehow more special than other children and that what's good for other children is not good for yours."
"This pediatrician is not putting up with it," he wrote. "Never have, never will."
Parents who choose not to vaccinate do so for multiple reasons, but many cite research that claims vaccinations can cause autism (that's not true).
We understand Ginsberg's concern for his patients who have compromised immune systems, but while we're generally pro-vaccinations, doctors refusing to treat sick kids because their parents don't want to vaccinate doesn't seem like the best solution. It punishes the kids for a decision their parents made, and forces parents who probably already face difficulty when taking their children to the doctor to find alternative healthcare.