"Let me guess; you're a lawyer?"
Hey, them's fightin' words! ;-). Nope, not even close. I know lots of good lawyer jokes, though.
"Common sense will tell you that if you put a chemical in your body, there is potential for harm. What about chemotherapy? Should that be banned, since it is probably responsible for more deaths and hospitalizations than any other drug class?"
I agree completely, there are risks with every chemical you put in your body. But no one has tried to mandate forced chemotherapy treatments like they do for some vaccinations, either. So the research on vaccines needs to have even more integrity associated with it because of that fact.
"Yes, and I have the scar on my left arm to prove it (it's still visible after 42 years)."
Actually I was referring to the more recent version of the vaccine which was suddenly stopped after it apparently injured or killed several workers in the medical field.
I can certainly agree with you that the research should not be falsified to ensure passage of the vaccine (or medications, treatments, etc.). But that point should apply equally to research DISPROVING vaccines, meds, etc.
Another problem is that despite rigorous clinical trials prior to bringing a med or vaccine to market, there is always the possibility of some major side effect occurring AFTER the vaccine/med is marketed and has received FDA approval. A good example of this would be the Rotavirus vaccine in the late 90's(?). After it was approved and on the general market, it was found to cause a potentially life-threatening abdominal disorder in children receiving it, and was pulled off the market. Of course, the shark lawyers pounced on it right away.
As far as forcing people to get vaccines, that is part of both "standard of care" as well as past experience. The American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the CDC offer guidelines on suggested immunizations. Most of these guidelines are sound (how many cases of Tetanus are there in the US each year vs. any third world country?). Some can be construed as overboard (Hepatitis B as a mandatory vaccine). The AAP certainly has Socialist leanings I will admit. However, in order for a vaccine to reach it's maximum effectiveness from a public health point of view, it needs widespread use (e.g. the Oral Polio Vaccine was effective in controlling polio in the US; the last case of "in the wild" polio was sometime in the 70's).
As for the experience part, if you have ever seen and taken care of children with the diseases that the vaccines prevent, you would understand why the Pediatricians "push" vaccines. However, from a conservative standpoint, I understand the point of wanting to, as a parent, make that decision yourself.