Current Events > Anti-vax father defends choice after daughter dies, cites lack of trust

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://futurism.com/neoscope/measles-father-defends-anti-vaccination

Thus far, there's only been one confirmed death in the measles outbreak spreading across North America and the father of the unvaccinated child who died of the preventable disease is expressing no regrets about failing to get her the jab.
In a startling interview with The Atlantic, the father of the six-year-old girl who became the first measles death in the United States in 10 years discussed the beliefs that led up to her dying from an infectious disease that was essentially eradicated at the turn of the last century.
Identified only as Peter, the father at the heart of this tragedy is, like many others in Seminole, the small West Texas town at the center of the outbreak, a member of the traditional-minded Christian sect known as Mennonites. There's apparently nothing in that group's doctrine barring modern medicine, but like many other conservative religious groups, many Mennonites are vaccine skeptics.
"The vaccination has stuff we dont trust," Peter told The Atlantic. "We dont like the vaccinations, what they have these days. We heard too much, and we saw too much."
Peter insists that measles is a normal part of life although for much of the country, it is not, and hasn't been for decades in the wake of generations of successful vaccination campaigns against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).
"Everybody has it," the man told the magazine. "Its not so new for us."
Those comments echo claims made by new Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who said during president Donald Trump's first televised cabinet meeting at the end of February that it was "not unusual" for measles cases to spike from time to time.
"We have measles outbreaks every year," the political scion claimed a claim that is only true now because anti-vaxxers like him and the group he used to lead have made people afraid to get them for fear of "injury" from these proven-safe inoculations.
Though Kennedy has since changed his tune under increased scrutiny to handle the outbreak taking place on his watch, the father of the six-year-old girl claimed by the disease has not.
"Everybody has to die," he told The Atlantic's Tom Bartlett.
Still, Peter appeared to become emotional after that admission, telling the columnist that it was "very hard" to deal with the "big hole" in his life resulting from the loss of his young child.
It's impossible to imagine what the man is going through if only because it seems cruel to hold onto such regressive beliefs in the face of unnecessary death.

This is why I couldn't be a journalist. I would have beat that mother fucker to death. "It has stuff we don't trust"? Mother fucker your daughter trusted you to keep her alive and you didn't just fucking fail her, you were the explicit reason she got the disease and died.

He should be charged with murder.

"complete psychopath", while accurate, also does not feel like it's anywhere near strong enough to describe this man

wackyteen posted...

"The vaccination has stuff we dont trust," Peter told The Atlantic. "We dont like the vaccinations, what they have these days. We heard too much, and we saw too much."

Certainly worked just fine for longer than you've been alive, you absolute fucking waste of carbon.

Imagine having your kid die from a preventable disease because you're a complete dipshit. These people are the absolute worst, and I feel awful she had to die just because her parents are negligent.

Anti vaxxers are bio weapon terrorists

ItsChristian posted...

He should be charged with murder.

Yeah, scum like this should be in prison

Bass posted...

Imagine having your kid die from a preventable disease because you're a complete dipshit. These people are the absolute worst.

"It was God's will!"

They better hope their God isn't real because God knows the truth in their heart and it's always the same selfish fear of their child turning out 'not normal' because of the vaccine. It has nothing to do with trust in what's in the vaccine, it has everything to do with they don't want a child that might be 'difficult' or 'different'. It's inherently selfish.

Sounds like he just didn't want to be a father tbh.

Watch his head explode when he finds out that RFK, Donnie, Elmo, and countless other MAGA shotcallers have had their children vaccinated despite kicking up such a big fuss over nothing about the vaccines supposedly being unsafe.

These people reaaaaallly don't want to admit they were wrong.

Absolute shit-stain.

Preventable disease killed someone you supposedly love, because you were so fucking stupid to believe anti-vax rhetoric.

If it were me, I would never be able to forgive myself... oh right... I got my kid vaccinated, I got vaccinated. It's not perfect, but it's still better than the alternative.

Perhaps listening to right-wing shitheads *isn't* the be-all end-all it's made out to be.

Brain-rot is a real thing.

Ivynn posted...

These people reaaaaallly don't want to admit they were wrong.

If they admit they were wrong, they'd have to own the consequence of their actions. Can't have that.

He saw and heard no real alarming information.

wackyteen posted...

"It was God's will!"

They better hope their God isn't real because God knows the truth in their heart and it's always the same selfish fear of their child turning out 'not normal' because of the vaccine. It has nothing to do with trust in what's in the vaccine, it has everything to do with they don't want a child that might be 'difficult' or 'different'. It's inherently selfish.

Reminds me of a joke. I won't say the whole thing since it's lengthy but basically a flood is happening, a man is on his roof as the waters keep rising, boats and rescue workers keep trying to save him but he rejects them saying "God will save me." Well, the waters rise and he drowns. He gets to heaven and asks God "why didn't you save me?" and God is like, "you idiot, I sent all those boats and rescue workers!"

So for all they know, it's God's will for them to take the vaccine because God led humanity to the vaccines in the first place.

wackyteen posted...

"Everybody has to die," he told The Atlantic's Tom Bartlett.

If she was vaccinated then she could have died as an adult, after living a full and complete life.

Ivynn posted...

Reminds me of a joke. I won't say the whole thing since it's lengthy but basically a flood is happening, a man is on his roof as the waters keep rising, boats and rescue workers keep trying to save him but he rejects them saying "God will save me." Well, the waters rise and he drowns. He gets to heaven and asks God "why didn't you save me?" and God is like, "you idiot, I sent all those boats and rescue workers!"

So for all they know, it's God's will for them to take the vaccine because God led humanity to the vaccines in the first place.

I think of this anecdote each and every time some moron prescribes something as an act of God. He literally sent you the vaccine, God only helps those who help themselves.

He's to blame for her death.

Not trusting vaccines requires basically writing off tens of thousands of scientists and doctors as subhuman. It's not just stupid, it's monstrous.

They trust the user-submitted Vaers system but not medical journals.

Totally not a cult though

More worried about the woke mind virus than actual viruses

At that point it's probably easier to tell yourself a lie instead of knowing you indirectly killed your child.

myusernameislame posted...

Not trusting vaccines requires basically writing off tens of thousands of scientists and doctors as subhuman. It's not just stupid, it's monstrous.

This is an anti-science anti-intelligence movement.

So why werent the parents imprisoned for reckless child endangerment/neglect leading to death? Shit like this isnt a choice, it needs to be law

Rai_Jin posted...

At that point it's probably easier to tell yourself a lie instead of knowing you indirectly killed your child.

Indirectly?

Rika_Furude posted...

So why werent the parents imprisoned for reckless child endangerment/neglect leading to death? Shit like this isnt a choice, it needs to be law

Because irrational "religious" beliefs aren't challenged the way they should be.

I have nothing but contempt for people who spread anti-vaxx bullshit. They're getting people killed from preventable diseases for nothing.

Rika_Furude posted...

So why werent the parents imprisoned for reckless child endangerment/neglect leading to death? Shit like this isnt a choice, it needs to be law

Because Texas.

They don't care about kids either.

Rika_Furude posted...

So why werent the parents imprisoned for reckless child endangerment/neglect leading to death? Shit like this isnt a choice, it needs to be law

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0430aaec.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/5285dc89.png
Because the US has always been kind of shit.

Only slightly embarrassed that fucking Mississippi and West Virginia are ahead of the curve on this.

Peter insists that measles is a normal part of life although for much of the country, it is not, and hasn't been for decades in the wake of generations of successful vaccination campaigns against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).

Deadly infectious disease that was basically eradicated decades ago is a "normal part of life." You can't make this shit up

I never thought I'd see CA, MS and WV on the same short and favorable list.

Yeah, if we're being charitable, we could say the dissonance is because he doesn't want to admit that he himself is responsible for his daughter's death. A normal human reaction.

But I ain't in the mood to be charitable. You could have prevented this, dipshit.

Idiot.

I don't understand why the antivax people don't just go live on an island or isolated community if they are going to insist on being a problem for other people

wackyteen posted...

"Everybody has to die," he told The Atlantic's Tom Bartlett.

lmao he just cant admit he was wrong

Isn't there a law for negligent parenting?

Identified only as Peter, the father at the heart of this tragedy is, like many others in Seminole, the small West Texas town at the center of the outbreak, a member of the traditional-minded Christian sect known as Mennonites. There's apparently nothing in that group's doctrine barring modern medicine, but like many other conservative religious groups, many Mennonites are vaccine skeptics.

As someone who is ethnically Mennonite (although I am not religious) and lives in an extremely conservative and religious Mennonite area, I'd say this has far more to do with the Texas aspect than the Mennonite aspect. Mennonites around here at least don't generally have much issue with most vaccines (although there is unfortunately a lot of distrust of the COVID vaccine specifically).

Ivynn posted...

These people reaaaaallly don't want to admit they were wrong.

A core problem with MAGA and conservatives. They've ridden this shitstorm into the ground and STILL won't admit it was the worst choice for America.

rick_alverado posted...

ethnically Mennonite

... did not know that was a thing

DrizztLink posted...

... did not know that was a thing

The Wikipedia article gives a decent overview:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_Mennonite

His daughter was just a prop to him. Any real parent would do anything to keep their child safe. He choose to cling to his fanaticism over keeping her alive.

rick_alverado posted...

The Wikipedia article gives a decent overview:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_Mennonite

Oh, groovy.

Kind of out-of-character tone for Wikipedia, though:

That argument, however, fails to see a distinction between religious Mennonites and ethnic Mennonites, and denies the experience and identity of thousands of people in North America, Mexico, Belize, Paraguay, and elsewhere, who share a common Mennonite heritage.

While many ethnic Mennonites have assimilated into Western culture, and adopted English as their primary language, their heritage and their family names continue to distinguish them as ethnically Mennonites to other ethnic Mennonites, who are proud of their heritage and make a point of knowing who all their relatives are. This is affectionately referred to as the Mennonite Game.

What is the stuff they dont trust?

SaikyoStyle posted...

What is the stuff they dont trust?

Science in general.

All I can say to him

Shut up.

Now cry.

Science, health and wellness does not care what political stance a person has. Its the covid thing all over again.

is the mother still with him? guess she agreed with the no vaccines?