Mom Who Grew Up With Anti-Vaxx Parents Shares Why Her Kids Are Vaccinated

This mom wasn’t about to repeat her family’s decisions

We’ve all heard the terrifying statistics about once-eradicated diseases making headlines, much of it to blame on people who choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children. One mom who grew up in an anti-vaxx household decided not to repeat her family history and got her kids vaccinated, and wants others to know the reasons not to vaccinate are based on false information.

Abbey Clint took her seven-month-old daughter to the doctor’s office for her shots last week and while she was there took a photo of her daughters and herself, writing about her right to save her children from preventable, and often deadly diseases was a privilege.

“I grew up unvaccinated before it was cool,” she wrote on Facebook next to the photos. “I’ve had to catch up on my inoculations with each pregnancy. Glad I didn’t catch measles while pregnant!” She also posted some statistics on autism and vaccinations, a perceived link many anti-vaxxers use as an excuse not to vaccinate their kids.

The 30-year-old Pennsylvania mom knew her family wouldn’t be happy with her choices but decided to be vocal about her decision to combat the widespread misinformation that often happens through social media, and because record-breaking outbreaks have continued to bring this issue to the forefront.

According the the CDC, from the beginning of 2019 until last week, 764 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states. The increase from the previous week was 60. Sixty additional cases reported in just one week. “This is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.”

Clint tells Scary Mommy that her mom lost faith in doctors during one of her pregnancies and sought the advice of others for guidance on future health matters. “She turned to her trusted chiropractor and ND for her health concerns. She must have picked up the anti-vaxx theory along the way,” she explained.

The mom-of-two also tells Your Erie that she changed her mind about vaccines when she learned that her mother-in-law almost died when she contracted measles. It was then she decided her kids would be vaccinated, despite her parent’s disagreement. “For whatever reason, we decided collectively that cars aren’t bad enough; that we weren’t going to drive them,” she said, comparing the decision to drive to something far less dangerous to prove her point. “Vaccinations are safer, so much safer.”

“Glad my babies don’t need to suffer through preventable infectious diseases. Preventative maintenance saves co-pays and saves lives. Proud to vaccinate!” she said. Since her post went viral, Clint says she’s shocked by all the positive feedback, “because I’m used to being on the non-mainstream side of most Facebook conversations. I’m most encouraged by the stories people are sharing about their experience with infectious diseases before there were vaccines for them.”