Have You Ever Convinced Someone to Get Vaccinated?

Whether you talked to a loved one or another member of your community, we want to hear your story.

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As the United States faces a record number of measles cases, Mother Jones wants to hear from you: Have you ever successfully convinced someone in your community to get vaccinated, or changed their mind about vaccines? What was your experience, and how did the person respond to you? Perhaps you’re a concerned parent or community advocate, or you work in public health. We’re interested in understanding how you approached the conversation and what worked. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of measles cases this year were a result of people being unvaccinated. Outbreaks in smaller, tight-knit communities made up the majority of cases, but at least 22 states also reported cases. While it’s hard to determine how many people do not believe in vaccines—and it’s important to stress that the majority of Americans are vaccinated—experts say parents may refuse vaccines for several reasons: They may worry that vaccines cause autism (a theory that has been thoroughly debunked), that vaccines aren’t safe, or that pharmaceutical companies can’t be trusted. Though some people may believe vaccines are outright dangerous, others may be more hesitant or unsure of vaccines, causing them to delay getting immunizations. 

Research has shown that merely trying to counter someone’s deeply held beliefs with facts doesn’t really work—and can even backfire. Other studies have argued that showing the drastic effects of not getting vaccinated can be effective. Compassion and thoughtful listening can also help: Voices for Vaccines, a pro-vaccine advocacy group led by parents, released a toolkit for speaking to family members. It emphasizes “keeping the conversation friendly, open, and respectful.” The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that pediatricians speak to parents compassionately, and that taking the time to address parents’ concerns and provide accurate information can be one of the most important factors for encouraging vaccine acceptance. 

We want to hear what worked for you. If you’ve ever been able to change someone’s mind on vaccines, tell us your story. Fill out the form below, email talk@motherjones.com, or leave us a voicemail at (510) 519-MOJO. 

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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Getting just 10 percent of the people who care enough about our work to be reading this blurb to part with a few bucks would be utterly transformative for us, and that's very much what we need to keep charging hard in this financially uncertain, high-stakes year.

If you can right now, please support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a donation at whatever amount works for you. And please do it now, before you move on to whatever you're about to do next and think maybe you'll get to it later, because every gift matters and we really need to see a strong response if we're going to raise the $253,000 we need in less than three weeks.

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