The Origins of Vaccination: A History Worth Questioning
- Dr. Joshua Lamers
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
Part 1 of 7
When most people think of vaccines, they think of life-saving shots that rid the world of deadly diseases. But few realize that behind today’s vaccine schedule lies a complex and controversial history — one that involves legal immunity for pharmaceutical companies, government-funded compensation for injuries, and growing public skepticism. This post explores how vaccine policy evolved over time, and why the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) became a pivotal — and problematic — turning point.
A Brief History of Vaccines: From Smallpox to Mandates
Vaccination began in the late 1700s with Edward Jenner’s smallpox experiment. By the 1800s, vaccines were already mandatory in parts of Europe and the U.S. — and opposition arose almost as quickly. Parents protested what they saw as government overreach and a dangerous procedure. Fast-forward to the 20th century: vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, and polio became widespread, and health officials promoted them as miracles of modern medicine.
But not everything was smooth. In the 1970s and ’80s, controversy over the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine emerged. Parents reported seizures, brain damage, and even death in their children following vaccination. Lawsuits poured in.
1986: The Law That Changed Everything
Faced with growing public concern and mounting legal action, vaccine manufacturers threatened to pull out of the market. In response, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986. The law:
Shielded vaccine manufacturers from liability
Created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)
Required reporting of adverse events (VAERS)
Mandated standardized Vaccine Information Statements for parents
On the surface, the law aimed to protect the vaccine supply and compensate families. But in practice, it granted permanent legal immunity to pharmaceutical companies — even if a vaccine causes death or disability. Today, no matter how severe the injury, families cannot sue the vaccine maker in civil court. They must go through the “vaccine court,” a federal system that quietly handles claims behind closed doors.
Why It Matters Today
Since its creation, the VICP has paid over $4.8 billion in vaccine injury compensation — quietly funded by taxes on each vaccine shot. Yet most parents have never heard of this program. They are led to believe vaccines are entirely safe, even though the government itself has established an injury compensation system and a special court to process claims.
Worse, the immunity given to manufacturers means there is little legal incentive to improve vaccine safety. If your child reacts severely, there’s no recourse. This level of protection is virtually unheard of in any other industry.
Questioning the Vaccine Philosophy
Does it make sense for one class of pharmaceutical products — given to healthy children — to have total legal protection? If vaccines are as safe as we’re told, why does this shield even exist?
These are the questions parents, doctors, and researchers are beginning to ask. The history of vaccination is not as clean-cut as the mainstream narrative would have you believe.
Current Vaccination Schedule
Table 1 of the CDC’s 2025 immunization schedule presents an overwhelming and aggressive vaccine timeline for children from birth through age 18, recommending dozens of injections—most administered in rapid succession during the first 18 months of life. The chart illustrates a dense matrix of shots, including newer additions like COVID-19 and RSV monoclonal antibodies, layered on top of traditional vaccines like DTaP, Hepatitis B, and MMR. Rather than promoting a cautious, individualized approach, this table reflects a one-size-fits-all strategy that pressures parents and providers to follow a rigid protocol, often without adequate long-term safety data for new products or consideration of cumulative effects on developing immune systems.
One of the main concerns with the current 2025 CDC childhood and adolescent immunization schedule is the aggressive and condensed timeline for administering dozens of vaccines—many before a child’s immune system has fully matured. For example, infants are scheduled to receive vaccines for Hepatitis B at birth, followed by multiple injections for DTaP, Hib, Polio, Pneumococcal, Rotavirus, and COVID-19 as early as 2 months old, with frequent follow-ups just weeks apart. This stacking of vaccines raises questions about immune overload, potential synergistic side effects, and long-term safety—especially when multiple live or adjuvanted vaccines are given simultaneously.
Download the full CDC vaccine schedule
Another concern is the increasing number of newly recommended products—like the COVID-19 and RSV monoclonal antibody injections—that are still under emergency use authorization or relatively new to the pediatric population. Despite limited data of the long-term safety for children, these are included in routine schedules, often under the justification of “shared clinical decision-making,” which can create pressure for parents without offering true informed consent. Finally, the inclusion of vaccines for low-risk or niche conditions (e.g., dengue for children in specific territories, or HPV at age 9 in sexually inactive children) may not reflect a personalized approach to medicine and instead applies a one-size-fits-all protocol that may not benefit all children equally.
This schedule reflects a pharmaceutical and public health model that prioritizes disease prevention through mass compliance, but it fails to adequately weigh individual risk factors, delayed vaccine reactions, and the need for parental autonomy in decision-making.
Coming Up Next…
In our next post, we’ll uncover what’s really inside vaccines — from aluminum adjuvants to aborted fetal tissue. You'll be surprised how much the formulas have changed over the years… and how little most parents know about what’s being injected into their children.
Want to make more informed choices for your family’s health? Subscribe to our blog for updates, or book a consultation to talk with a provider who supports your right to informed consent.
Comentarios