In his monthly piece to the GR Herald, ICC Professor Vroman provided us the usual preaching about how more government control is the solution to all of our problems, much like in the class he teaches “War and Propaganda.” His issue is over Senate File 1520 and the citizens he claims to be anti-vaxxers.

As a preface, I and all four of my children have been vaccinated. I believe in the research and science behind vaccinations and encourage everyone to get immunized to protect their children, loved ones, and community. Vaccinations are safe and play a critical role in our world, I support them, and I am always open to helping dispel any false rumors that suggest the contrary.

Vroman essentially claims that parents who choose not to vaccinate their own children are somehow guilty of child abuse and neglect. He even goes as far as to say that if the government can’t force you into vaccination, at the very least, you should be excluded from public places, such as schools. I wonder if Vroman has ever stopped to think how many of his students might not be fully vaccinated. Is he advocating that ICC should bar non-vaccinated students from his classroom? Does Vroman himself have all the vaccinations that are now given to children?

According to a CDC vaccine schedule a child born in 1984, such as myself, between the age of birth and six you would receive ten vaccinations. A child born in 2015 would receive 37 vaccinations between birth and age 6. It’s fair to assume based on their age, both Vroman and Eck received far less than what children receive today.

Then comes the hypocrisy of the accusations made in the LTE’s: these men belong to part of the “not your body, not your choice” crowd when it comes to the pro-life/abortion issue. So why then is it “not your body, not your choice” when it comes to vaccinations?

They also are opposed to the “big” pharmaceutical industry and their influence, but now we must mandate vaccinations for all produced by the same “big pharma” industry they claim to be against?

While Vroman and Eck want you to do as they say, not as they do, I still believe in the Constitution of the United States which promotes liberty, freedom, and personal responsibility. Vaccinations are an important part of healthcare but being injected with any substance is an important discussion between a doctor and an individual or the immediate family. Not Mr. Vroman. Not Mr. Eck. Nor any politician from St. Paul or Washington, or any unelected bureaucrat. Senate file 1520 would force vaccinations on Minnesotans and make getting a medical exemption extremely difficult. The government should not be in the business of making personal decisions. The only point Vroman makes that is correct is that “children are not property” and I would like to add that they are especially not the property of the government! I believe that individuals and families, with the consultation of their doctors, can make the decisions that are best for their own situation.