The debate between anti-vaxxers and vaccinators is never-ending as some parents continue to refuse to vaccinate their children while other parents to get them vaccinated.

Now, as a teen about to graduate high school, it’s my job to start being more conscious about my health, not my parents. Soon, they won’t be attending doctor’s appointments with me, and I’ll have to start taking care of myself.

This is why I believe that teens should have the right to choose whether they should get vaccinated or not.

Last month, Ethan Linderberg from Norwalk, Ohio testified in front of Congress about how he defied his parents and got himself vaccinated.

Lindenberg stated, “My mother would turn to social media groups and not to factual sources like the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. It is with love and respect that I disagree with my mom.”

His parents were just like the thousands of other parents in America who have to succumb to the belief that vaccines cause autism.

However, that just isn’t true.

There isn’t a shred of evidence that proves vaccines give children autism.

Still, anti-vaxxers refuse to vaccinate their children because they are trying to protect them from the unknown.

That’s reasonable, but what’s not reasonable is that these parents don’t have any contextual evidence to prove these accusations.

As Linderberg previously stated, anti-vaxxers receive all their information from social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, which doesn’t always give parents a full understanding of how vaccines can fully treat an illness.

They rely on personal opinions instead of professional ones. This causes a chain reaction throughout the internet causing a fury of panic and rage.

Recently, measles is one of the many illnesses that has broken out all over the United States, infecting small children. The only way to stop this disease? Get vaccinated.

Currently, no matter how many kids continue to get vaccinated the disease still rapidly spreads like wildfire, contaminating the bodies of small children. The reason? Non-vaccinated children.

But in the eyes of a small child, needles are the deadliest weapons on Earth. So, it’s no wonder some parents reject today’s modern medicine.

They believe their home remedies will cure their sick child.

In place of needles, they use essential oils, which don’t work for curing illnesses. They are actually used for anxiety, stress, and sleep.

Healthline.com states, “It has been estimated that 43 percent of people who have stress and anxiety use some form of alternative therapy to help with their condition.” Essential oils aren’t a good choice for an alternate medical option.

As a teen, it is extremely important to take facts such as these into consideration when deciding whether to get vaccinated or not.