ANTI-VAXXERS: MEMPHIS

MURDERERS

Caleigh Ledgerwood
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Caleigh Ledgerwood

ENGL 1020

May 6, 2020

Anti-Vaxxers: Memphis Murderers

I often times find myself sitting in doctor office waiting rooms for hours on end. I have a

lot of time on my hands, so I usually people watch who comes in and out. I see familiar faces,

some new, and sometimes I spot a sales rep (I consider that a bonus for my day). I normally sit in

the back of the room at a distance from the sick looking people since they pose a threat to my

health, but what if someone’s risk wasn’t there for you to see? I pondered that thought tirelessly

until I was snapped back to reality by the shrill call of “Miss. Ledgerwood?” from across the

room. As I walked back to see my doctor, it hit me. Vaccinations.

Vaccinations account for the prevention of 2-3 million deaths in children each year

(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2014). The issue with people choosing to vaccinate or not is

that they’re not visible to the naked eye. You can’t look at someone and know they’ve gotten the

MMR vaccination to prevent Measles, Mumps, or Rubella before sitting next to them in the

doctors waiting room. With that being said, vaccinations should be required in the State of

Tennessee for all children, with the exception of those medically unable to receive a vaccination.

This can be achieved through Tennessee State regulation/law, higher restrictions on school

permeance, and by publicizing free healthcare clinics in local communities to provide those

crucial vaccinations.

In the State of Tennessee, the current laws regarding vaccinations read as followed:
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Every nursery school, day care center, Head Start center, Kindergarten, or other

pre-school, day care or grades Kindergarten through twelve of any public,

private, or church related school shall obtain proof of adequate immunization…

prescribed by the Commissioner (unless otherwise exempted by law) prior to

admitting a child. It shall be the duty of the school to enforce the provisions of

this regulation, subject to the exemptions.

T.C.A. §49-6-5001(b). (State of Tennessee, 2020)

The law lists that if your child is to attend a school other than being homeschooled, that he/she

must be vaccinated before attendance. Unfortunately, in Shelby County, there are hundreds of

students who are unvaccinated. In the 2017-2018 school year alone, there were over 600

Kindergarteners that came to school without being vaccinated (Commercial Appeal, 2019).

The issue with the law given by the State of Tennessee is that it allows for parents to

refute providing their children vaccinations by either medical or religious exemptions. I fully

support the idea that if medically you cannot receive a vaccination (such as being

immunocompromised) that you should not receive a vaccination because it can cause more harm

than good. The issue is how religious beliefs are being used to abuse the system’s loophole

regarding vaccinations. I myself am a religious person so I understand how this is touchy.

However, in most religions, a vaccination itself is not against beliefs-only modern medicine

(such as surgery). In the City of Memphis, there are 815 churches, temples, and/or cathedrals.

Out of those 815, only 2 of those churches (COGIC) do not believe in the use of vaccinations

(VMUC, 2013).
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With that being said, these statistics mean that only 0.25% of churches are against

vaccinations, yet there are approximately 7% of students in the Memphis area are NOT

vaccinated (Commercial Appeal, 2019). The discrepancy in the two contrasting numbers is

apparent, and it’s obvious that there are more unvaccinated children in the Memphis area that

there are children who have the ability to be exempt from vaccinations. The Center of Disease

Control, which is the top proprietor made up of some of the wisest doctors across the world for

the purpose of curing and containing deadly illnesses, explain that vaccinations

One thing about Memphis and the people who aren’t vaccinating their children is why

some are not to vaccinating. Sometimes, it’s not a choice by the parent. In the city of Millington,

a small town in Shelby County right outside Memphis city limits, there is a large population of

homeless and low-income families who are unable to afford to take their child to get vaccinated

or provide proper healthcare. I know this story all too well because I, myself, am a resident in

Millington and went to MMSD in Highschool. There are 11.1% of students in this district who

are unvaccinated, (Commercial Appeal, 2019). An argument presented by Shawn Page, the

director of exceptional children and health services in Shelby County, states that their goal is to

not “kick students out” by not having proper medical documentation, (Commercial Appeal,

2019). The issue with that is you’re compromising students even though there is a solution that

the city and its donners have already taken care of for them, they just don’t want to enforce the

rules.

A solution to this is giving the proper education and knowledge to parents about their

options. Lebonheur Children’s hospital has a free clinic in Downtown Memphis. If schools
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would give these resources to the parents of the children who are unvaccinated due to not being

able to afford it, then there’s no reason for a child to ever be unvaccinated. No matter your social

class or where you’re from, every child deserves a fighting chance at life, and all it takes is a

small syringe to give them that.

One point some anti-vaxxers make is that of herd immunity. Herd immunity is where you

are indirectly protected from diseases when a large portion of a specific population (like school)

is immune/protected from said diseases. This provides a form of protection to those who are not

immune. To have herd immunity, a population has to have at least a 93-95% vaccination rate

(Center of Disease Control, 2018). Unfortunately, in many places, there just isn’t that high of a

percentage of a vaccinated population and that percentage is rapidly declining in children. The

more people that choose not to vaccinate their kids, the more baseless this argument is. Herd

immunity should be for those unable to receive vaccinations, not those who choose not to

vaccinate.

Another reason given for not vaccinating children is the false idea that some diseases

have disappeared. The United Nations, appointed to employ world peace since WWII, has a

specialized task force called the World Health Organization who is responsible for the protection

of international health. The WHO has released multiple articles on how the misconception has

put the world at risk, inciting a new realm of disease strains that are much more powerful than

their predecessors. The majority of viruses have been repressed through proper hygiene,

sanitation, and vaccinations over the years, but that has not irradiated them (World Health
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Organization, 2013). The only disease that has ever been wiped off the face of the earth is

smallpox.

The US is a nation with wide access to medical care, so the rate of vaccine-preventable

disease is low, but travelers from destinations with less access flood the airport terminal gates in

droves. Travel is one of the largest sources of revenue in the United States, and as amazing that

is for our economic stimulus, it opens up the door for less known diseases to make an

appearance. In 2011, there was a measles outbreak of over 350,000 people worldwide-in the

U.S., 90% of measles cases were related back to importation of the disease (Center of Disease

Control, 2019). A deadly disease is only a Delta Air flight away from being in your back yard,

and one of the easiest ways to prevent this is by vaccinating yourself and your children.

On February 7, 2020, a 4-year-old was ripped out of his parent’s life due to false

information given to a mother through an anti-vaxxers Facebook Group. The baby boy had been

diagnosed with the flu but after his mom tried her best (due to misinformation and lack of

guidance), she decided that the antibiotics the doctor prescribed were too risky to give him and

tried home remedies given to her by said Facebook group. The next day, her baby had a seizure

due to his brain swelling and moments later, his body laid lifeless in her arms. It was (and is) an

absolute tragedy that this happened. Anti-vaxxers prey on mothers who are emotionally

vulnerable (i.e. mothers who are emotionally scarred from having lost babies in the past) to push

their own agendas. Memphis’ own Dr. Jon McCullers of Lebonheur states that vaccine refusal is

one of the fastest rising health threats due to media influence (Local Memphis ABC, 2019).
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A tragedy in and of itself is the steadily increasing amount of preventable disease cases in

our own area. Shelby County had 7 cases of the measles in 2017 (Commercial Appeal, 2019).

Doctor Jon McCullers, Chief of Medicine over Lebonheur Children’s Research Hospital says

that measles in “15 to 20 times more contagious than the flu.” Shelby County is the 6th worst city

in the State of Tennessee for having vaccinations (Local Memphis ABC, 2019). According to

CBS News, Memphis considered a Murder Capital of America (CBS, 2019). In Memphis, we

have such a high crime rate, and now we’re also beginning to let our children die by not

vaccinating them? That’s the worst part. Murder of Omission. You child now has a bigger

chance of catching the measles and dying instead of being shot in the streets. That’s not a win,

that’s failure as a parent. We’re slaughtering our own children due to negligence and it’s not

okay.

In conclusion, vaccinations should be required for all children regardless of what

schooling they receive and schools should have studier requirements on vaccinations when

children are entering school. It’s not only for the benefit of keeping your own child healthy and

alive, but also other small children as well. They are not only easily accessible, but are

recommended by almost all credible health organizations and doctors. Many parents are

frightened that if they vaccinate their child, they will become ill and die. I find that to be one of

the most selfish excuses antivaxxers give, because the pain you’re attempting to avoid is just

passed off to another unsuspecting mother as she sits in an ICU bed clinging to dying child. This

is all in result of her baby came in contact with your child carrying the preventable diseases they

are carrying. What’s fair in that?

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Annotated Bibliography

Carter, Josh. “VAXXED OUT: A Look Inside Mississippi's Vaccine Rights Movement and the

Doctors Who Oppose It.” Https://Www.wmcactionnews5.Com, 4 May 2019,

www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/05/03/vaxxed-out-look-inside-mississippis-vaccine-

rights-movement-doctors-who-oppose-it/.

Although this isn’t a Memphis based article, it gives an outside perspective to how anti-vaccine

parents view vaccinations and state regulation regarding vaccinations. In the state of Mississippi,

vaccinations are mandatory for you to attend school, with almost a 100% vaccination rate.

Although most would consider this a major undertaking, some parents are raging against the

state, claiming in encroaches on their first amendment right (MPVR, Facebook). A rebuttal is

listed here from University of Mississippi Medical Center epidemiologist Dr. Bhagyashri

Navalkele saying although she resonates with parents whose children have horrible reactions to

vaccinations, the pros always outweigh the cons of vaccinating your child. Dr. Bhagyashri

Navalkele lists possible outcomes of not vaccinating you child, such as hearing loss, swelling of

the brain, sterilization, and more.

Center of Disease Control “Vaccines: Vac-Gen/What Would Happen If We Stopped

Vaccinations.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, 29 June 2018, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm.

In this news article, the CDC shows just reasoning from doctors as to why vaccines are

crucial to the wellbeing of the people. They give multiple real-life examples of what
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can/will happen is vaccinations begin to become irradiated and diseases become more

prevalent. It’s outlined that vaccines protect the common health of all people and are not

fully eliminated from the world. 

Fieldstadt, Elisha. “Murder Map: Deadliest U.S. Cities.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 7 Oct.

2019, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/murder-map-deadliest-u-s-cities/61/.

Memphis, as well as many other cities across America, is evaluated as one of the top murder

capitals in America. Although there has been a decrease by 6.2% in murders, Memphis is still

considered to be the 6th most deadly city in the U.S. With these death rates, it’s disheartening to

see how they are lower in comparison to the death rates in children who die of preventable

diseases. 

Occupational Health Clinic. “Vanderbilt Faculty & Staff Health and Wellness.” Immunizations

and Religion | Vanderbilt Faculty & Staff Health and Wellness, 27 Aug. 2013,

www.vumc.org/health-wellness/news-resource-articles/immunizations-and-religion.

In this article, Vanderbilt Hospital lists all of the religions that do not believe in vaccinations. It’s

easy to see that the majority of all churches have reformed enough to allow its followers to

participate in vaccinations. There is only a hand full of religious organizations that do not agree

with all required vaccines. 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. “Global Immunization: Worldwide Disease Incidence.”

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1 Dec.

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2014, www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/global-

immunization/diseases-and-vaccines-world-view.

Through this website, it explains how many children die from preventable diseases each year. It

also gives examples of the things children mainly die from in the U.S. 

Pignolet, Jennifer. “600 SCS Kindergartners Came to School without Proof They Had Been

Fully Vaccinated.” The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 15 Apr.

2019, www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/education/2019/04/15/shelby-county-

schools-kindergarteners-came-school-without-documentation-measles/3423084002/.

In the Shelby County School System, the rates of vaccinated children are staggeringly low. At

some schools, there are vaccination rates as low as 88.9% which worry people such as Chief of

Pediatrics, Dr. Jon McCullers of Lehonheur Children’s Hospital.  In the 2017-2018 SCS school

year, over 600 kindergarten students were allowed to attend school without proper

documentation of vaccinations. This not only raises a wave of concern for communicable

diseases, but also the risk of depleting herd immunity for children who cannot be vaccinated due

to medical reasons. Irradiated diseases such as the measles, which has a 90% rate of pathogenic

spread, are showing a rise in cases due to anti-vaxxing and lack of knowledge on what

vaccinations are/how they work. 

Speiser, Matthew. “The US Cities with the Most Religious Venues per Capita Aren't Quite What

You'd Expect.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 3 June 2015,

www.businessinsider.com/cities-with-most-churches-2015-6.
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In this article, it shows that Memphis has a very large number of religious organizations. These

not only include churches, but also cathedrals, temples, mosques, etc. It shows how many people

can attend a church at a given time and gives an idea of the mass of the population who are

religiously affiliated with said organizations. With this information, it’s compelling in regards to

vaccinations considering this is the main argument for antivaxxers (being that it’s against

religious beliefs to vaccinate their children). With only a small number of citizens being a part of

this religion, there is a discrepancy in the numbers. 

State of Tennessee, “RULES OF TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: HEALTH

SERVICES ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICABLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL

DISEASE SERVICES.” CHAPTER 1200-14-01 COMMUNICABLE AND

ENVIRONMENTAL DISEASES, State of Tennessee Government,

www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/immunizationrequirements/tenniis/1200-

14-01.20131128.pdf.

This is a detailed list given by the State of Tennessee and how the health law reads. It outlines

what vaccinations are required as well as how the schools must enforce this law. It has legal

documents and links. 

Williams, Rudy. “Memphis Doctor Testifies Before Congress About Health Threat of Anti-Vax

Movement.” WATN - Local 24, 8 Mar. 2019, www.localmemphis.com/news/local-

news/memphis-doctor-testifies-before-congress-about-health-threat-of-anti-vax-

movement/.
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         Expert in the Medical Field and Doctor at the prestigious Memphis children’s hospital

Lebonheur, Chief of Pediatrics, Dr. Jon McCullers, testifies before congress about the growing

threat of not vaccinating your children. He tells of the dangers Tennessee is creating by allowing

the grey area of religion to play a role into vaccinating your child. Dr. McCullers also references

how Mississippi State laws are better in preventing the epidemic of anti-vaxxing by only

allowing medical reasons (i.e. immunocompromised children) to be exempt from vaccinations

considering the bad outweighs the good in their circumstances. 

World Health Organization “Six Common Misconceptions about Immunization.” World Health

Organization, World Health Organization, 19 Feb. 2013,

www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index

1.html.

The WHO is a product of the United Nations designated to protect the health of the international

public. In this article, it is explained how there are many ways that vaccinations have been

misconstrued among the people. It’s very dangerous for people to believe many of the things

listed in the article. This article outlines that diseases are never fully irradiated, people who get

sick get the vaccine, facts about “hot lots,” side effects of vaccinations, and/or that vaccines can

overload a child’s immune system.