I wonder what would happen if...

[Wendi]

... the first time you took your child to the pediatrician, and filled out the new patient paperwork, under "allergies" you listed "mercury?" Would the doctor, then, be the one to suggest you avoid vaccinating your child? Just a random thought... :D

[Kludge]

Awful habit to lie to avoid confrontation. Very degrading to the other person if they catch you ;)

[heavenlyboy34]

I don't think ya have to go that far. As I understand it, you just have to write "do not vaccinate" on the form, and be clear to the doctor that you WILL sue him if your child is vaccinated. You go, girl. ;)

[lucius]

... the first time you took your child to the pediatrician, and filled out the new patient paperwork, under "allergies" you listed "mercury?" Would the doctor, then, be the one to suggest you avoid vaccinating your child? Just a random thought... :D

Look for a local midwife, they can usually recommend a sane pediatrician who will respect your decisions. In Texas, a note from a doctor is good for a lifetime exemption, ie. no registering with the state department of health etc.:

The other option for parents to exempt their child from state immunization requirements is with a medical exemption written by a doctor. This is intended for families with children with health concerns or a past history of reactions. While this option bypasses the bureaucratic red tape with the conscientious/religious exemption, the pressures on doctors to not write these are great and it may be difficult to get a doctor who acknowledges a vaccine reaction to substantiate that in writing by issuing an exemption.

Regardless, most families and physicians are not aware the exemption statute was greatly expanded last session to make it much easier for a doctor to write to protect a child from future reactions. No longer do they have to say the vaccine would definitively harm the child but that it instead poses a risk to the child. Any M.D. or D.O. licensed to practice medicine in the United States can write the letter stating that "in the physician's opinion, the vaccine required poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of the child or any member of the child's household." If the letter also says this is for a lifelong condition, (the condition does not need to be named) the exemption never has to be renewed. Otherwise it has to be renewed annually. The doctor just needs to write it out on a piece of paper and sign it. In this case, you can keep the original and give the school a copy.

Here is a sample medical exemption letter:

Medical Exemption to Immunization

In my opinion, the required immunizations pose asignificant risk to the health and well-being of (name of child). This is a lifelong exemption for lifelong conditions.

Doctor's name, signature, and date

2008-2009 Texas Vaccine Exemption Information: http://www.vaccineinfo.net/exemptions/index.shtml

[Wendi]

I don't even have kids. It was just a hypothetical musing... I know there are other ways around it. But folks who use those other ways have occasionally found themselves being visited by CPS or other gov't nazis. I just wonder if this would be a way of preventing that. And technically, it wouldn't even be a lie. Mercury is a toxin, to which human cells are known to react negatively. ;)

[tmosley]

There is such a thing as a mercury allergy. My grandmother had one. When she was in school, they would have the kids play with mercury in science class one day. She told her teacher she couldn't because she was allergic. He made her do it anyways. She had a reaction and had to go to the hospital, and lost a big patch of hair on the side of her head permanently because of it.

[M House]

Um wouldn't they just select the vaccines that don't use mercury?

[Wendi]

^^ For a lot of folks, that is the point ;)