What Happened With Our Old Pediatrician

Following a previous blog post, a couple readers were wondering what happened between me and the pediatrician I had been taking the boys to.

How to make a long story short?

Well, when Isaac as born we really liked Dr. Ubinger. He seemed knowledgeable and down-to-earth. I did feel somewhat rushed when asking my questions at each visit but, hey, doctors aren't exactly known for their people-skills. The trouble began when I started asking questions about the vaccines. Let me remind everyone that both of my boys have had all of their vaccines. All I was doing was asking questions. With each question it was obvious that Dr. Ubinger was stiffening up and clearly annoyed that I was even entertaining the thought of debating this issue.

One day a friend loaned me a video on vaccines that was very alarming, and I decided to hold off on further vaccines until I investigated some of the claims made in this video. When I brought up some of the claims made to Dr. Ubinger at Josiah's 6 month well-baby visit he dismissed it all as "crap," literally, and just gave me another handout of AAP (American Academy of Pediatricians) guidelines regarding vaccines. I wasn't satisfied.

Before his 9-month well-baby visit I called ahead and asked the nurse to have all of the package inserts for all of the childhood vaccines ready for me so I could read them (at home of course). I also began checking out some of the references from the video I watched. It turned out some of the references' websites were hacked into or expired, which didn't look good. However, the doctor who made the video maintained her website quite well and I was able to find what she said would be on there. I still insisted on holding off on the vaccines until I read more, which totally pissed Dr. Ubinger off. I also showed him a chart that I'd found on the website detailing very clearly which vaccines were made with aborted fetal cells, their manufacturers, and an ethical alternative if one was available. This really sent him over the edge. His response was hostile and unprofessional. He said it was all crap, and that he didn't know where it came from, referring specifically to the allegation that some vaccines were made with aborted fetal cells. "Just because you found a detailed chart on the internet you think it's true?" was one of the things he said. He also kept repeating, "You have to decide who you're going to believe." Finally he told me if I didn't get on board with the vaccine schedule I'd have to find another doctor. I shrugged my shoulders and said ok, but I wish I would have walked out of the office.

So I went home and shared with Keith what had taken place at Josiah's visit, and I began reading those package inserts the nurse had so kindly given me. It didn't take me very long to decide who I was going to believe. First of all, let me say that the package inserts blew enough holes in the arguments made on the video I watched that I ultimately decided the benefits outweighed the risks. That was all of the investigating I needed to do. However, for the MMR, chicken pox, and Hep A vaccines, right in the first or second paragraphs of the package inserts, it clearly states that they are propogated in human embryonic lung cells and/or human diploid cells. I knew what this meant, but I'm not a microbiologist so I took it one step further and called the manufacturers (Merck and GlaxoSmithKline). All it took was one phone call to each for them to confirm what I already knew. These human embryonic lung cells and human diploid cells came from aborted fetuses. So who was I going to believe? Dr. Ubinger? Or the people who make the vaccines? Um, lemme think.

The decision to change pediatricians was not taken lightly. I truly do not expect doctors to know everything under the sun. It was his response, his attitude toward my questions, that upset me so badly. I prayed about this and discussed it with Keith for weeks before I decided to look for a better match for my family. I even spoke with one of the pastors at our church about it. It's not that Dr. Ubinger didn't know some vaccines were indeed made with aborted fetal cells, it's that he dismissed it all as crap and told me if I didn't believe him I had to go elsewhere for care. Well, that's just what I decided to do.

Listen, the bottom line is I am Isaac and Josiah's mother, and Keith is their father. WE are the decision-makers for our children, not some doctor. Whether we choose to get every vaccine under the sun for our kids, or to withhold all vaccines forever, it's OUR decision. No one else's. Doctors can give us their advice, but they can't tell us we're full of crap, our kids are gonna die if we don't vaccinate, or that they won't see our healthy children because we question the necessity or the ethics of vaccines. Dr. Ubinger's words "You have to decide who you're going to believe" and "If you don't get on board with the vaccine schedule you have to find another doctor" were the ultimate insults. Not that he didn't know how some vaccines were manufactured.

Sorry for the marathon blog.

Josiah's 1 year well-baby visit is tomorrow with a new pediatrician that I've heard good things about. I'm looking forward to it.