Critical Analysis of Vaccination Claims and Arguments: PHL137

This report provides a comprehensive sociological analysis of arguments surrounding vaccination, focusing on the claims made by the Australian Vaccine Awareness Group (AVAG). It begins with an overview of the AVAG's stance, presenting their premises and sub-arguments regarding the risks and dangers associated with vaccinations. The report critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of these arguments, examining the evidence presented and identifying potential biases. Furthermore, it delves into the language and rhetoric employed by AVAG, analyzing the use of emotionally charged language, loaded words, comparisons, and contrasts to influence public opinion. The report also assesses the AVAG's use of a specific paper, evaluating its impact on their overall argument. Finally, the report offers recommendations based on the analysis, providing a balanced perspective on the complex issue of vaccination and its societal implications, drawing on the provided scenario and assignment brief. The report also includes a detailed table of contents and a reference list for further research. The conclusion suggests that parents and guardians should be more cautious regarding vaccinations and should not be forced by others for vaccinating and immunizing their children.

1
Sociology

2
Table of Contents
Standardization............................................................................................................................................3
Premises..................................................................................................................................................3
Strengths and weaknesses............................................................................................................................4
Sub-arguments supporting 1....................................................................................................................4
Sub-arguments supporting 2....................................................................................................................5
Sub-arguments supporting 3....................................................................................................................6
Sub-arguments supporting 4....................................................................................................................6
Sub-arguments supporting 5....................................................................................................................6
Sub-arguments supporting 6....................................................................................................................6
Language and Rhetoric................................................................................................................................6
Emotionally charged language................................................................................................................7
Loaded words..........................................................................................................................................7
Comparison.............................................................................................................................................8
Contrast...................................................................................................................................................8
Analysis of AVAG’s usage of paper...........................................................................................................8
Recommendations.......................................................................................................................................9
Reference List............................................................................................................................................11

3
Standardization
Conclusion – Parents and guardians should be more cautious regarding vaccinations and should not be
forced by others for vaccinating and immunizing their children.
Premises
1.1: The vaccines that are directly injected into the blood vessels of children and babies contain organic,
poisons and chemicals which lead to various fatal diseases.
1.2: The studies of AVAG indicate that some vaccines might cause side effects in children and might be
fatal.
1.3: The common ingredients of vaccines include harmful cells of animals and aborted foetuses and
dangerous metals.
1.4: Some pharmaceutical companies might withhold the possible risks of vaccination usage for achieving
their own interests of business.
1. Some vaccinations might be fatal and invite severe issues while the parents might be unaware of such
facts due to the information being withheld by pharmaceutical and vaccination producing companies as
well as doctors who are in turn directed by the companies for the usage of such vaccinations.
2.1: Children in Australia are vaccinated for Hepatitis B irrespective of proof against them being infected.
2.2: Parents only care about the benefits and not the risks of vaccinations.
2. Babies are vaccinated for STDs on the very day they are born.
3.1: Litigations settlements are carried out against big companies every year.
3. Studies have shown that vaccine companies have mostly turned out to be fraud.
4.1: Prior to the initiation of mass vaccination, the rate of deaths caused due to infectious diseases had
decreased by 1950.
4. The death rates had lowered in Australia before the introduction of vaccinations.
5.1: Developmental diseases were know about in the past but did not affect the children as frequently as
they do now.
5.2: Allergies have become more common than before.

4
5. Developmental disorders have increased after the introduction of vaccinations.
6. The age of vaccination should be delayed by the parents for their children, because the children who
are older in age can withstand the vaccine side effects in a better way than the infants and new born.
C: – Parents and guardians should be more cautious regarding vaccinations and should not be forced by
others for vaccinating and immunizing their children.
Strengths and weaknesses
Both the judgments as well as the arguments are provided on the basis of the premises (Chinn, Buckland
and Samarapungavan, 2011). The strength of an argument would be added by an acceptable premise on
the basis of its reasonableness. Hence, the assessment has been analyzed by the means of premise.
Sub-arguments supporting 1
Premise 1 concentrates upon the risks and side-effects of vaccination, and the Australian Vaccine
Awareness Group (AVAG) supports the sub-argument by the means of three provided facts, the
hazardous and harmful substance found in the vaccination, the information that is withheld by the
pharmaceutical companies and the possible risks caused by the vaccinations which lead to various
diseases amongst children. Even though the argument seems to be very strong at a glance, it has been
revealed by a close scrutiny that there is weakness within the argument due to the lack of sufficient
supporting evidence. Apart from vaccinations, almost all types of medicines consist of organic ingredients
or chemicals that might be harmful. Injections do indeed carry the risks because of the fact that it is a
direct internal procedure, which cannot be potentially be prevented by the externally present immune
system of the body such as the skin layer and mucus layer. However, it cannot be denied that the most
secure and preventive mode of prevention against most of the infectious and harmful diseases from
spreading across the globe would be immunization and vaccination. Additionally, vaccinations and
immunization are more feasible and affordable for the poor or backward families than the high level
expenditure on the treatment of the diseases that are caused as a result of the infections.
Furthermore, the reliability and appropriateness of the studies of the AVAG remains to be a question. The
justification for the reliability and appropriateness of the study has not been provided sufficiently. The
participants as well as the scale have not been introduced clearly. It should be noted that high emphasis
has been provided by the AVAG on the problems and issues of vaccination with children. Hence the
studies and research conducted for adults might be irrelevant. Besides these, the strength of the
generalization of the studies would be weak if the studies’ scales are tiny and insufficient. Hence, the

5
argument’s substantiation is reduced due to the unclear and inappropriate information of the study.
Another fact is that, whenever the study has been conducted, it can be possible that techniques of
extraction of milder and safer vaccination for reducing the existing issues related to vaccination have been
developed in the time period meanwhile.
The third sub-premise is very well organized as it has provided a detailed example for paying attention
towards the hidden ingredients of vaccines. The common side effects which are caused due to the
vaccinations have been provided. The ingredients like DNA, proteins and cell debris from animals and
aborted foetuses as well as dangerous metals have been mentioned. This ensures that people become
aware of the common effects of vaccines in the simplest way.
In the fourth sub-premise, it has been mentioned in the study that companies often hide the possible risks
of vaccination usage for achieving their own interests of business. However, concrete justification and
evidences of such companies have not been provided.
Sub-arguments supporting 2
The second premise implies that newborn babies are vaccinated and immunized on the very day that they
are born against sexually transmitted diseases. The children of Australia are provided with vaccination of
hepatitis B without considering the fact whether any kind of infection is present within them or not.
Hepatitis B is usually caused due to unprotected sex or sharing of needles users. A good usage of theory
has been provided for this premise which concludes to the fact that parents nowadays only care about the
benefits of vaccination and immunization for their children about the risks of the same.
Sub-arguments supporting 3
Significant usage of factual data and information related to companies have been facing litigation
settlements lately have been provided. Information related to these companies have been used accurately
regarding their activities such as indulgence into false marketing, falsifying science, selling adulterated
products and using fraudulent information within the medical products.
Sub-arguments supporting 4
The fourth premise implies that the death rates of Australia have decreased way before vaccination was
introduced. Significant usage of a study conducted by the professor Fiona Stanley has been used for
concluding to the fact that the rate of death within Australia had decreased by the year 1950 which was
way before the introduction of vaccination.

6
Sub-arguments supporting 5
The fifth premise implies that developmental disorders and diseases like cancer, allergies and asthma
have become more severe than they were back in the 1980s which was the time when vaccination was
introduced. This somehow concludes to the fact that vaccinations have been causing allergies protein side
effects which cause such disorders within children however, no concrete proof has been used in the
support of the same.
Sub-arguments supporting 6
Logical inference has been used in the sixth promise. Firstly the common sense has been proposed which
implies that the effect of vaccination cannot be undone and then the fact has been shown which implies
that children who are older in age immunity systems and capabilities of assuming and withstanding the
side effect what are the impacts caused by immunization and vaccination. Hence, according to the fact
and common sense, it has been proposed that the usage of latter vaccination would be far better.
Language and Rhetoric
Emotionally charged language
Emotionally charged language is adopted for enhancing the feelings of the author in order to provoke and
encourage similar kind of feelings as well (Harris, et. al., 2010). In the provided argument, the study
conducted by the Australian vaccine awareness group, stripes for promoting the similar kind of feelings
of the readers and audience. The language used throughout the study suggests that the force of
vaccination upon children is not justifiable. While depicting the issues of the usage of vaccination and
immunization, emotionally charged usage of words have been employed as fatal and dangerous. These
negative words suggest that the result of usage of vaccination is quite severe and would be very effective
in arousing the negative impression of the readers towards the usage of vaccination. Additionally, several
words like have been used for illustrating the intentions of the pharmaceutical companies in hiding the
negative information and data related to their products. Continuous and consistent negative image of such
pharmaceutical companies has been produced due to the employment and usage of emotionally charged
words. This makes the readers and audience take into consideration the fact that they should be aware
about the potential negative image of the pharmaceutical companies and the possible negative impact of
such vaccination which might be hidden and withheld by such companies. The study also blames the
doctors for being carried away by these companies and not using knowledge of their own, as a result
adding to the contributions of the negative impact of vaccinations.

7
Loaded words
According to Altakhaineh and Zibin (2014), a technique of working which is used for influencing and
impacting the readers by the means of application of an emotional appeal is known as loaded words. For
instance, emphasizes upon the tough will against vaccination of children has been provided consistently at
various places. The audience would be affected due to the strong tone used throughout the study and the
questioning form of sentences which have been used throughout. The audience and readers are convinced
for believing the past by usage of words like “data” and “information”. The study tries to question the will
of audiences regarding going against the well being of their children by using sentences like do you want
the same future for the children who are now born. This would cause the audience to be moved.
Comparison
Comparison have been employed by the work which shows the readers in the audience that
pharmaceutical companies might have been receiving them by providing them with limited or biased
information or data related to medical products. The pharmaceutical companies have been compared with
the word “shenanigans”. Such a comparison implies that these pharmaceutical companies might be
continuous damage to the health and wellbeing of children by deceiving and hiding the fact that the
vaccinations produced by them would not bring any kind of damage to the health and wellbeing of
children and do not have any side effects and also do not contain harmful substances and metals. Usage of
such words is not believed to be reliable and hence conform and negative image of the pharmaceutical
companies in the minds of the readers and would leave a very strong impact or impression.
Contrast
A contrast has been used in the work by showing the past information related to death of children and
suffering from diseases, by the means of using informatics and data published by researchers and experts.
Despite the logical problems of the study, such usage of contrast would enable the audience for viewing
the various results and outcomes on the basis of the different decisions to be made by them. By the means
of the rhetorical view, the usage of contrast would enable the audience for evaluating both the sides and
analyze study in a more convincing manner.
Analysis of AVAG’s usage of paper
The Australian Vaccine Awareness Group has used the paper “White, affluent, educated parents are least
likely to choose HPV vaccination for their children” in its work related to awareness for parents and
general public related to vaccination provided to their children.

8
The coverage of the vaccination of human papillomavirus is much below the national objectives of the
United States of America. Prior research is required for informing the interventions which have been
designed strategically emphasize upon the social demographic groups which have underutilized the
vaccination of the human papillomavirus (HPV) (Warner, et. al., 2017).
A secondary data analysis was used for the measurement of the socio-demographic factors' association
with the vaccination of HPV among males and females aged between 13 to 17 years (Grantome, 2015).
The data analysis belonged to the national immunization survey teen, 2013. Multivariable Poisson and
Chi-square regulations were used for the conduct of the survey by the means of statistics which were
survey-weighted (ResearchGate, 2016).
Various results were drawn by the means of the survey which was conducted. There was a negative
association of the females with initiation of the vaccination of HPV in those cases where a mother was
more than or equal to 35 years of age, had some college, belong to other race or ethnicity, and had no
providers who ordered vaccinations from health departments (JGlobal, 2015). A negative association of
the males was also made with initiation of the vaccination of HPV in those cases where a mother was
more than or equal to 35 years of age, had some college, belong to other race or ethnicity, and had no
providers who ordered vaccinations from health departments. There was a negative association of the
similar factors with the males who completed the vaccination of HPV but with an exception of belonging
from other race or ethnicity (SemanticScholar, 2017). In contrast to the above, there was a positive
association of females who initiated and completed the vaccination of HPV where the mother was
unmarried and age between 15 to 17 years, had a provider that was hospital-based and received some
adolescence vaccinations. A positive association of the males who initiated and completed the vaccination
of HPV was made where the mother was unmarried; insurance was not sponsored by any union or
employer, and had meningitis and influenza vaccinations. For the males, having vaccinations of
adolescence and being 17 or 15 years of age, had a positive association with the completion of
vaccination (BMC Pediatrics, 2019).
The conclusion which was drawn from the paper was that there might be a benefit for the future
interventions of the HPV vaccination, by the means of targeting various socio-demographic groups which
had a negative association with the vaccination of HPV from the study.
Recommendations
The argument of the Australian vaccine awareness group has six principal premises the ultimate
conclusion of the argument. However, promises are not very well linked to each other, which is one of the

9
drawbacks on the study and the argument. Additionally, there is a lack of supporting evidences and strong
inferences throughout the whole argument which was also discussed previously. Some of the supporting
evidences and proofs are not pertinent and substantial. Despite the fact that the conclusion and the
beginning of the whole argument strives upon increasing its strength by the means of division of similar
kinds of emotions of the readers, convincing and unsubstantiated. The rhetoric that has been used
throughout the argument is quite strong since it includes the combination of loaded words, contrast
approaches, comparison and emotionally charged language approach. The specific recommendations for
the argument are:
 Some counter arguments should be considered by the argument like the support for the
vaccination of children. A better way or technique should be provided after the consideration of
both the sides of the argument, negative as well as positive. This would help in increasing the
persuasion of the whole argument.
 Figures, data and evidences which are more reliable and relevant in nature can be used for
supporting the problem and issues of the vaccination. The supporting materials' date should also
be taken into consideration and should emphasize upon the children.

10
Reference List
Altakhaineh, A. and Zibin, A., 2014. Perception of culturally loaded words by Arab EFL
learners. International Journal of Linguistics, 6(3), pp.1-22.
BMC Pediatrics, 2019. White, affluent, educated parents are least likely to choose HPV vaccination for
their children: a cross-sectional study of the National Immunization Study – teen. [online] Available at:
https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-017-0953-2/open-peer-review
[Accessed on 25 April 2019]
Chinn, C.A., Buckland, L.A. and Samarapungavan, A.L.A., 2011. Expanding the dimensions of epistemic
cognition: Arguments from philosophy and psychology. Educational Psychologist, 46(3), pp.141-167.
Grantome, 2015. Community-level Geographic Factors and HPV Vaccination in the U.S. [online]
Available at: http://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R03-CA202566-01 [Accessed on 25 April 2019]
Harris, I.M., Benito, C.T. and Dux, P.E., 2010. Priming from distractors in rapid serial visual presentation
is modulated by image properties and attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception
and Performance, 36(6), p.1595.
JGlobal, 2015. White, affluent, educated parents are least likely to choose HPV vaccination for their
children: a cross-sectional study of the National Immunization Study – teen. [online] Available at:
https://jglobal.jst.go.jp/en/detail?JGLOBAL_ID=201802247445647927&rel=0 [Accessed on 25
April 2019]
ResearchGate, 2016. Geographic Factors and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Initiation
Among Adolescent Girls in the United States. [online] Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290994904_Geographic_Factors_and_Human_Papillo
mavirus_HPV_Vaccination_Initiation_Among_Adolescent_Girls_in_the_United_States
[Accessed on 25 April 2019]
SemanticScholar, 2017. White, affluent, educated parents are least likely to choose HPV vaccination for
their children: a cross-sectional study of the National Immunization Study – teen. [online] Available at:
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/White%2C-affluent%2C-educated-parents-are-least-
likely-Warner-Ding/85415343e52b7ab7ef2b1874b54eeb49f8f014ea [Accessed on 25 April
2019]

11
Warner, E.L., Ding, Q., Pappas, L.M., Henry, K. and Kepka, D., 2017. White, affluent, educated parents
are least likely to choose HPV vaccination for their children: a cross-sectional study of the National
Immunization Study–teen. BMC pediatrics, 17(1), p.200.