The vaccine created in 1796 by Edward Jenner is classified as a life saving invention. From an annual flu shot to the booster shot every couple of years for the human papillomavirus, vaccines have become key to the one's health. However, health has been put on the back burner for many people because of myths about vaccines. Even with all the people dying of diseases everyday in poverty-ridden nations, citizens of the United States still do not to take advantage of their privileges and choose to delay and even deny the opportunity to vaccinate their children. This has become known as the Anti-Vaccination Movement. The Anti-Vaccination Movement has always been a dull but existent issue; however, it did not take its claim to fame until actress, Jenny McCarthy, linked her son's autism to his vaccination history. This movement has become prevalent in society because many parents feel as if it is their choice as to whether or not their children need to be protected from fatal diseases. Currently there is no law or policy in place that requires or even motivates parents to vaccinate their children other than the denial of unvaccinated students by schools and some doctors' offices. Although parents are ultimately responsible for how their kids are raised, optional vaccinations should not be a parenting decision; rather it should be left up to the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as to what vaccines children are required to receive and when they should receive them.
As mentioned earlier, the cause to the uproar in the Anti-Vaccine movement can be linked back to many celebrities and political commentators denoting themselves as "anti-vaccine advocates". These celebrities have caused the common person to believe that vaccines may lead to autism. The flaw in that logic is that these celebrities are not medical professionals, nor do they have the slightest clue as to what vaccines really do.