The Idea of an Essay, Volume 4

64 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 4 Disease Control and Prevention all strongly support protecting children with recommended vaccinations. Vaccination protects others you care about, including family members, friends, and grandparents. If children aren’t vaccinated, they can spread disease to other children who are too young to be vaccinated or to people with weakened immune systems, such as transplant recipients and people with cancer. This could result in long-term complications and even death for these vulnerable people. We all have a public health commitment to our communities to protect each other and each other’s children by vaccinating our own family members.” As I sat down, there was nothing left that I could do. I had pleaded my case. Now it was time for pro and con debate, where it would now be up to the strength of my bill. My bill was passed by the committee, the house, and then finally I had to stand by as my senator counterpart Erin presented my bill to the senate. She didn’t deliver the speech like I would, but that didn’t matter. No one would remember any of the speeches delivered today. The words in the bill were what mattered. Bills that are passed in YAG have an effect on actual state legislation. Many times bills passed in YAG become actual bills several years later. My bill would go on record for years to come. Nothing I said could change the outcome. The written words stood alone. The pro and con debate waged on. “Mr. President, I don’t think we should force our citizens to vaccinate their children. That is entirely within their ability to decide. It’s not the government’s job to be a parent,” said one delegate. “Mr. President, I disagree with the prior delegate. As a state, we have a commitment to all of our citizens’ health. These citizens are our future entrepreneurs, doctors, and teachers. We need to protect our citizens’ futures,” said another. Back and forth it went. Every line of the bill was explored until finally it was time to vote. Months of work, hours of research, and it all came down to this. “When your name is called please say “Aye” or “Nay” to decide on Bill #394, Mandatory Vaccinations for School Children,” said Mr. President. The “Ayes” and “Nays” started to blend together.