"Flu Vaccine for Preschoolers"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22wed3.html?ref=opinion

Grounds: Influenza is common in children, and 20,000 under 5 years old are hospitalized with it each year.
Claim: New Jersey should pass a bill that requires all preschool age children to obtain an influenza vaccination.
Warrant: Influenza shots are beneficial and necessary.
Backing: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise that children 6 months old through 18 years be vaccinated yearly. This vaccine can prevent the flu from spreading to adults because children are the first to contract the virus.
Rebuttal: Parents have religious or medical reasons against it.
Qualifier: There is a "conscientious exemption" that allows parents to forgo the vaccine.

The author claims that New Jersey should pass a bill that requires all children in preschools or child-care centers to obtain an influenza immunization. This vaccine is necessary because 20,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized with the illness each year. The epidemic of influenza could be prevented if this bill were passed since children generally contract the virus first; if they were vaccinated, the flu would not spread to adults. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children six months through eighteen years of age be immunized. However, some parents oppose this bill because of religious or medical reasons. In these cases, the "conscientious exemption" provision of the bill would allow parents to legally exempt vaccination for their children.

"Flu Vaccine for Preschoolers"

Grounds: Many parents oppose the influenza shot.
Claim: New Jersey should not pass a bill that makes influenza vaccination for preschoolers compulsory.
Warrant: Enforcing this bill would go against parents' religious or medical concerns.
Backing: Thimerosal, a preservative in the immunization, has been linked to autism in children. Parents who religiously oppose vaccines would need exemption from this bill's requirement.

New Jersey should not enforce a bill that makes flu immunization compulsory for preschoolers. Many parents oppose the influenza shot based on their medical and religious concerns. Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative found in the immunization, has been linked to autism and brain development disorders in children. Another reason parents are against the bill is the inconvenience it presents. If the bill were passed, these parents would have to seek exemption from it.