Infant had ‘contracted the virus before birth from their mother’, while the country has recorded 2,755 measles cases
A Canadian infant who was born prematurely and had measles has died, officials said on Thursday without confirming a cause of death, raising heightened concern about the virus’s resurgence.
Canada has recorded 2,755 measles cases – including 2,429 confirmed and 326 probable – according to federal health data updated on 2 June.
The epicenter of the outbreak is the province of Ontario, where nearly 2,000 cases have been reported.
Vaccination isn’t against mennonite rules, and the mother is an adult.
So I can’t see a scenario where she is the victim (other than the loss of her child, which is the issue of negligience that could be argued).
Since we read they’re trying to get the word out to the community in their language, it’s very possible she wasn’t aware she needed the vaccine, especially since obviously her parents didn’t get her vaccinated as a child. If she wasn’t planning to get pregnant she wouldn’t have been told “you need to get the MMR at least a month before you start trying.” And she’s probably not the person who went to New Brunswick and exposed her insular community, but instead could well have become pregnant at about the time the first cases were diagnosed in her community. Then with the virulence of measles it would have been very difficult to remain sufficiently isolated to completely avoid exposure. We also don’t know her age. And we don’t know how sick she got, but possibly it precipitated the premature labor.
I’m not debating any of that.
That said, the vaccine is not new, she is an adult, and as I said I don’t advocate a murder charge. At most its negligent homicide.
But none of that changes the base facts:
I cannot call her a victim in any way other than the loss of her child.
I would argue the negligence was committed by the person who left the insular community (which had some protection by virtue of avoiding exposure, even though it also perpetuated an antivaccine and anti doctor mindset) and brought home the measles. It’s also very much a young-women-do-as-they-are-told society so the mother’s level of agency over her own health and that of her fetus is questionable. You go ahead and blame her, but I’d like more evidence she was willfully neglectful.
EDIT TO ADD:
“While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus,” he added.
Which is why I said negligence at most, and arguable.
I see you aren’t actually reading what I said, just making assumptions about my position on things, so I’ll go ahead and stop here.
I’ll just add one thing I learned today: in conservative Mennonite communities in the Ontario area, schooling beyond grade 7 is discouraged.