An Examination of Why Anti-Vaccination Chiropractors Take the Position They Do

Despite survey results, indicating an increase in parental vaccine safety concerns, routine coverage among U.S. preschool children is at, or near, an all time high. However public health officials remain concerned that if the anti-vaccination movement were to gain considerable ground in this country, as it has in other countries it could lead to a decrease in vaccination rates. Among sources that individuals rely on when making the decision whether or not vaccinate themselves or their children, are the media, books and health care providers, including chiropractors. This paper traces the historical roots of the pro-and anti-vaccination movements through to the present day, focusing on the role of chiropractic within those movements. Attempts to portray the anti-vaccination chiropractors as unscientific extremists both by orthodox medicine as well as from within the chiropractic community itself, possibly in an effort to make chiropractic appear more “mainstream”, may in fact be clouding the issue and appears to be having an opposite effect by increasing the rhetoric on both sides of the issue. If public health official want to enlist the help of the chiropractic profession in vaccination programs they need to better understand the genesis of the anti-vaccination movement within the profession and address the issues that both inspire and feed this belief system. It is suggested that an honest open dialog to examine why anti-vaccination chiropractors feel the way they do as well as exploring better ways to educate both sides of the issue would better serve the public health.