When parents choose not to vaccinate their children, they are taking what they believe to be calculated risk: to protect my child from a vaccination injury, such as autism, I will put them at risk of developing a host of diseases, including measles, tetanus, mumps, polio, hepatitis B, and diphtheria.
They also choose to put others, especially babies that are too young to be immunized, at risk of life-threatening illnesses.
This reasoning is incredibly selfish given the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that vaccinations cause autism.
A recent study of over 650,000 children published earlier this year found that the MMR vaccine didn't increase the risk of autism.
Entitled parents of an unvaccinated boy who was taken to the emergency room are the perfect example of this type of selfish disregard for the health of others.
RELATED: Anti-vaxx mom asks how to protect her daughter from measles outbreak. The internet delivered.
After their son fell on the playground and needed emergency attention, medical staff at the hospital isolated the child in the ER so he didn't infect any of the immunocompromised patients.
The doctor recommended that the child receive a tetanus shot to protect himself and others, but the parents declined.
According to a pamphlet created by the Centers for Disease Control, "If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child, Understand the Risks and Responsibilities," the medical staff was correct in isolating the child.
The people who help your child can take precautions, such as isolating your child, so that the disease does not spread to others. One group at high risk for contracting disease is infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated. For example, the measles vaccine is not usually recommended for babies younger than 12 months. Very young babies who get measles are likely to be seriously ill, often requiring hospitalization. Other people at high risk for contracting disease are those with weaker immune systems, such as some people with cancer and transplant recipients.
The child ended up having surgery but was ultimately fine.
RELATED: Enlisted anti-vaxxer tried to skip on a flu shot for his newborn and the Navy schooled him for it
The parents thanked the medical staff who helped their son by flipping them off for isolating him to protect the health of others.
"We had come to the ER after an emergency with my son falling at the playground. We were questioned about our vaccine choices, then it was brought up 3 times how we should give him a tetanus shot and then 6 hours into our visit we were isolated in a room with gowns and gloves so we didn't "infect" any of immunocompromised patients. Our response. Our bub is ok, had a little surgery and he is on the mend for a great recovery."
The photo went viral on Reddit where the parents were harshly criticized.
"They don't trust a doctor to vaccinate, but they'll trust a doctor to perform surgery...? I really don't understand the logic." — Reizo123
"How fucking embarrassingly stupid it will be dying of tetanus in this day and age." — pimpolho_saltitao
"Methinks some of these parents are more motivated by rebelliousness." — Thecuriousblackbird
"Lol. Gotta [pray] for recovery because he isn't vaccinated." — L4HSR4M
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Woman's reflection in shadow.Photo credit 
Young woman frazzled.Photo credit 
Will your current friends still be with you after seven years?
Professor shares how many years a friendship must last before it'll become lifelong
Think of your best friend. How long have you known them? Growing up, children make friends and say they’ll be best friends forever. That’s where “BFF” came from, for crying out loud. But is the concept of the lifelong friend real? If so, how many years of friendship will have to bloom before a friendship goes the distance? Well, a Dutch study may have the answer to that last question.
Sociologist Gerald Mollenhorst and his team in the Netherlands did extensive research on friendships and made some interesting findings in his surveys and studies. Mollenhorst found that over half of your friendships will “shed” within seven years. However, the relationships that go past the seven-year mark tend to last. This led to the prevailing theory that most friendships lasting more than seven years would endure throughout a person’s lifetime.
In Mollenhorst’s findings, lifelong friendships seem to come down to one thing: reciprocal effort. The primary reason so many friendships form and fade within seven-year cycles has much to do with a person’s ages and life stages. A lot of people lose touch with elementary and high school friends because so many leave home to attend college. Work friends change when someone gets promoted or finds a better job in a different state. Some friends get married and have children, reducing one-on-one time together, and thus a friendship fades. It’s easy to lose friends, but naturally harder to keep them when you’re no longer in proximity.
Some people on Reddit even wonder if lifelong friendships are actually real or just a romanticized thought nowadays. However, older commenters showed that lifelong friendship is still possible:
“I met my friend on the first day of kindergarten. Maybe not the very first day, but within the first week. We were texting each other stupid memes just yesterday. This year we’ll both celebrate our 58th birthdays.”
“My oldest friend and I met when she was just 5 and I was 9. Next-door neighbors. We're now both over 60 and still talk weekly and visit at least twice a year.”
“I’m 55. I’ve just spent a weekend with friends I met 24 and 32 years ago respectively. I’m also still in touch with my penpal in the States. I was 15 when we started writing to each other.”
“My friends (3 of them) go back to my college days in my 20’s that I still talk to a minimum of once a week. I'm in my early 60s now.”
“We ebb and flow. Sometimes many years will pass as we go through different things and phases. Nobody gets buttsore if we aren’t in touch all the time. In our 50s we don’t try and argue or be petty like we did before. But I love them. I don’t need a weekly lunch to know that. I could make a call right now if I needed something. Same with them.”
Maintaining a friendship for life is never guaranteed, but there are ways, psychotherapists say, that can make a friendship last. It’s not easy, but for a friendship to last, both participants need to make room for patience and place greater weight on their similarities than on the differences that may develop over time. Along with that, it’s helpful to be tolerant of large distances and gaps of time between visits, too. It’s not easy, and it requires both people involved to be equally invested to keep the friendship alive and from becoming stagnant.
As tough as it sounds, it is still possible. You may be a fortunate person who can name several friends you’ve kept for over seven years or over seventy years. But if you’re not, every new friendship you make has the same chance and potential of being lifelong.