The reasons why parents do not vaccinate their children are varied, says general practitioner Bernard Lienstra. “You have people who don't do it based on their religious beliefs. So there's not much room for discussion, because the facts don't matter.”
“But there are also people who no longer think it's necessary, or want to solve the problem in a natural way. I'm still trying to have a conversation with that.”
“Slip off track”
“Every now and then, you have people who are really convinced that vitamins are the answer,” he says. “Or if you charge a rock to the moon and put it next to your daughter, everything will be fine. Or viruses are good, too.” Leinstra.
“These people have gone a little off track. It makes sense to review the facts in a very careful way, but that takes a lot of time and is often more unsuccessful than successful, I have to be honest.”
“It's not just about yourself”
“Of course we have the right to self-determination and we have to cherish that,” Leenstra said. “I am a general practitioner who performs euthanasia. I think this is valuable in our country.” “Euthanasia is only about the person himself, and vaccination is about others as well.”
“We've been seeing this increased risk of infection for a long time. I'm really concerned. It's not going well. We're really going to have to do more than just want to understand these people.”
