Mom doubts
immunization
effectiveness
for children

By SARAH GLEN
TRACEY MCKINNON
feels like she’s a minority
in Terrace.

But if current trends are
any indication, McKinnon

won't be feeling’ this way”

for much longer.

This local mother of
two is part of a growing
movement of parents
choosing nat lo immunize
their children. :

“t hear all the time that
I should -follow what
everyone else is doing,”
said’ McKinnon. “But
that’s one of the problems
with our society -— we
manufacture sheep.”

She says immunization
isn’t 100 per cent perfect
and cites the physical and
emotional side effects that
£0 along with the proce-
dure as the strongest rea-
sons why she doesn’t im-
munize her young children.

“I think people need to
take a closer look at the
information surrounding
this issue. There is so
much hidden,” she said.

The opting out move-
ment has local communic-
able disease coordinator
Margaret McKlevie wor-
tied.

“In the past five to 10
years I have definitely
seen this trend grow in
new parents across North
America. It's a frightening
thought,” said McKelvie.

She estimates that the
number of parents whe

don’! immunize their
children may be as high as
3 per cent.

While she admits im-
munization is not 100 per
cent effective, she stresses
that the benefits outweigh
the problems.

“There is no perfect
‘drug,” said McKelvie.
“But we are constantly

Striving to make it
[immunization] better.”
But it was the move to
inject. children with
“drugs” that made McKin-
non question immunization
in-the first place.:
' “don't see why kids
need it. If you keep your

‘children healthy, there is

no reason why they need
to be immunized,” said
McKinnon.

She ‘breast fed her first
child Cianne and she is
currently breast feeding
her second child, three-
week-old Pharran. McKin-
non notes that breast feed-
ing, transfers her body’s
antibodies to the baby,
which - builds the child's
immune system.

“Cianne is in constant
contact with other children
and she has never had
anything more than a cold.
That must say something,”
she said. -

Cianne is now eight
years old,

McKinnon also notes
that a lot of adults who
were immunized as babies
are just now gelting sick -
something she attributes to
childhood immunization.

“When you are inject-
ing your body with viruses
there is apt to be
problems.”

But that’s an argument
McKelvie says isn’t foun-
ded in science,

“People are trying to
link these unexplainable
diseases to. immuniza-
tion,” MeKelvie said.
“They are looking for a
cause and effect relation-
ship. But the truth is we
just don’t know what
causes diseases like can-
cer and MS [multiple
sclerosis].”

McKelvie worries that
parents who look for infor-

NO NEEDLES HERE: Tracey Mc

fe

Kinnon sits with her two daughters, eight-year-

ae

ald Cianne and three-week-old Pharan. McKinnon doesn't believe in immuniz-
ing her children. Instead, she promotes a healthy immune system as the
bedy’s natural defense against cisease.

mation on immunization
often turn to the Internet, a+
source that she maintains
provides “over 95 per cent
inaccurate information.”
She believes that this
trend in parents stems from
today’s adults, who for the
most part have never seen
the effects of communic-
able diseases first hand.
“People have forgolten
just haw serious these dis-
eases arc,” said McKelvie.
- She highlights her point
with her sister who con-
tracted diphtheria, one of
the diseases that is immu-
nized against.
Her sister turned blue
and grew a thin, grayish
film over the back of her
throat. that made. it difficult
for her to breathe.
“Even -after she had

Why Does Daddy Wear A Dress?

“Mammy, why does Daddy wear a dress?”
The cashier at the checkout counter dropped

BY CLAIRE BERNSTEIN

the egas.
goal people in line behind 4 year old Debbie ACHE Cot
Debbie's mom Roxanne turned beet red. CASES

"Debbie, hare’s a chocolate bar. Lel’s see how
fast you con eat it.”

Turning to the cashier, Roxanna pleaded,
"Can't you go any faster?”

Little Debbie quietly munched on her
chocolate bar. She could sense that all eyes
were on her. ,

"Mommy, Daddy soys every time he wears
high heels, his feet hurt, Why does he wear
high heels if his feet hurt?”

Anolher gasp swep! through the line.

Roxanne grabbed Debbie, abandoned her
carriage, and ran for the car.

Breaking the speed limit, she raced to her
mother’s, dumped Debbie unceremoniously into
her mother’s arms - "Don’t ask questions, if tell

‘ou later” - and drove furiously to her
usband’s house.

"How could you? You gave me your word
when we separated that you wouldn't dress in
your ridiculous oulfits when Debbie was visiting

ou."
* Sander looked sadly at his wile. "My
dearest Roxanne, | have no choice, The date

i my sex change operation has been set. i'm
traveling to England in 6 months to have it, An
intrinsic requirement of getting the change is
thal | must appear and acl like a woman during
the time leadin up to the operation.

Roxanne collapsed on the sofa in tears.

Sencor tried to comfort her. “Trust me,
Debbie is the centre of my life. My love for her
will overcome ‘what you feel are
insurmountable difficulties. Don't worry,
everything will work out.”

But things didn‘t work out.

When Sandor came back from England as
‘Sandra’, Roxanne refused to let ‘Ber’ see
Debbie,

Sandra asked the court for weekly
telephone access and monthly supervised
visils until a trial judge would decide the case.

in court, Sandra argued tearfully. “Your
Honour, please don't take my child away from
me. As a man or a woman, I'm still her father
end nothing will change that,”

Roxanne stormed to her feet. “Your
Honour, haw is Debbie supposed to face a
father who's a woman? The few limes we

ave run into her father recently, Debbie ha
nightmares, wet the bed and threw wild
tanirums. Access would certainly not benefit
Debbie.”

Sandra interrupted. “Don’t believe her,
Your Honour, Debbie has never had trouble
dealing with my newfound femininity.”

Should interim access be given to Sandra?
You Be The Judgel Then look below for the

dacision.

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YOU! BE THE JUDGE - DECISION: “Sandra gets access,” decided Judge ly. we wail
L?)

for the trial, Sandra will have gone 50
On the other hand, a trial ju

long wilhout access that o reunion me
ige may decide in the end that Sandro should

armtul to Debbie.

ht be
h

ave no access al al

|
Balancing these Iwo concerns, | will let access continue but severely fimited to mont ly supervised
conlacl and weekly telephone contact, Sandra’s sex change is net a reason to refuse access unless it

harms De

bbie. And | don’t believe the claims that Debbie went be

rserk after seeing her father.”

Today's column is based an a casa from Onfario. If you hove a similor problem, please contact (sponsor) or another

et in your province. To provide compel
the scenorios in the casa, Any resemblance fo real peop!
the legal issues in the cose have been greatly reduc

ing entertain

ment, we have ficlionalz
a is purely coincidental. tn the inlerest of clarity and brevity,
and simplified,

the names, the characters and

Cloire Bernslain is a lawyer and nationally syndicated columnist. Copyright 2000 Haika Enterprises. C23-9

gotten over diphtheria, my
sister still dealt with the
side effects later on,” she
said,

And it’s these missing
first-hand experiences that
McKelvie maintains are
giving people a false sense

-of security,

“Peaple think, that
we've beaten these dis-
eases but the constant
threat is always there,”
she said.

But McKinnon attri-
butes disease to a weak
immune system, which she
belicves is brought on by
poor overall heath, nutri-
tion and living standards.

Although she doesn’t
support immunization,
McKinnon stresses that

she isn’t against modern

medicine. ;

“T think that modern
medicine has a place in
averall health, but when
we start to rely only on
that type of medicine we
ignore the other aspects of
health, like psychological
and emotional well
being,” said McKinnon.

She hopes other parents
will research immuniza-
tion,

“Whatever choice you
make, you need to educate
yourself first,” she said.

McKelvie also stresses
education. “Public health
nurses will bend over
backwards to educate par-
ents or help them in any
way. We have a lot of ma-
terial available to make
their decisions easier,” she
Said,

we

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - A3

News In Brief

ICBC bans motorized .
skateboards from roads

ICBC ES reminding users of motorized scooters and
skateboards that they classify as mator vehicles
and need to be registered, licensed, and insured for
use on the road.

Motorized skateboards and scooters fail to meet
Provincial standards for lighting, braking and sca-
ting requirements, so they cannet be operated an
public roads.

Any persan operating a motorized scooter on a
B.C. road may be ticketed by police, and the vehi-
cle could face impoundment. According to ICBC,
the small wheel size and configuration af scooter ange
steering components makes them unstable and dif- oe
ficult to contral.

Window vandals sought ;
TERRACE RCMP are looking for suspects after
the windaws of the Golden Flame Restaurant and
BH & G Gracery were broken.

Police say the vandal or vandals struck some-
time on the night of Sunday Aug. 13.

Anyone who has any leads is asked to call the
Terrace RCMP at 638-7400 or Crimestoppers al
638-TIPS.

US offficial here

THE NEWLY-APPOINTED Consul General for the
United States based in Vancouver is travelling
around the aerthwest this week.

Hugo Ltorens is in Terrace taday, speaking to
the chamber of commerce at noon at the Coast Inn
of the West.

He'll be speaking about trade between the Uni-
led States and Canada and the benefits of an eco-
nomie relationship between the two countries,

B.C. Libs have new site
THE B.C. LIBERAL party las launched a new web

site. It’s at winw. beliberals.com.

The party says the sile is lo provide news re-
leases, policy brochures, speeches and leader Gor-
don Campbell’s weekly radio addresses.

Boat motor stolen

TERRACE RCMP are louking for a large amount
of stien fishing and boating equipment.

A 20hp Mariner jet outboard motor, assorted
fishing and camping gear and two Ambassadeur
reels on Skeena King and Fraser King rods were
stolen in the late hours of Aug. 12 from a residence
in the 2700 block of Thornhill St.

This is the second incident involving stolen
boating equipment in just over a month. In early
July, a 14 foot zodinc was stolen from the 4800
block of Lazelle Ave.

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