“Trust In God” Or Vaccinate? Lancaster Amish Parents Differ On Measles Response

Adding another layer to the ongoing measles story, Amish parents in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have spoken to local station CBS 21 about their families’ vaccination decisions.

Unsurprisingly, they don’t all agree on how to approach the measles outbreak and vaccination in general.

Grace Miller spoke with about 10 Amish residents in the heart of the community (Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse areas). About half that number were willing to share something usable for the piece. Here’s a summary of what they told her, illustrating the diversity of views in this one community:

• A 27-year-old father in Bird-in-Hand said his family, including his two daughters, ages 2 and 4, is not vaccinated. He said the Amish tend to favor natural remedies over manufactured vaccines, and that he worries a vaccine could do more harm than measles itself. “We would rather put our trust in God,” he said.
• A 25-year-old mother said she is against vaccines, mostly because her parents raised her that way.
• A 41-year-old business owner said he and all 8 of his children are vaccinated. He called it a tricky issue, said he believes in each person’s right to choose, and said he does not see vaccines as going against Christianity.
• A 47-year-old mother said she and her husband are vaccinated, but their 10 children are not. She decided against it out of concern over what vaccines might put into their bodies.
• One man said his family is vaccinated, and that the Amish hold differing opinions on this like everyone else.

So it’s not a huge sample size, but I think it gives an idea of Amish people’s views and situations. There are those against vaccines, those who accept them, and even mixed situations where parents have been vaccinated, but opt not to vaccinate their children.

How many are in one bucket versus another in the Lancaster County community? I do not know.

Leaving It In God’s Hands

“Leave it in God’s hands” is a guiding general principle across Amish society, one deeply-rooted in their faith and culture. But when it comes to influencing how they handle everyday risks, it varies depending on the individual and also, I think, community.

You hear this the most with the plainest groups, like Swartzentruber Amish, when talking about their rejection of things like the SMV triangle, electric buggy lighting, and smoke alarms.

But it’s hardly limited to the most traditional groups. It also shows up as a deeply-held belief in ostensibly more progressive communities like Lancaster County, as this story shows. And it should be noted that the area where Miller spoke to the Amish is also one of the more progressive parts of the community – at the least, it is not families from the traditionally more conservative southern end of the settlement.

The other thing I’ll note is the 25-year-old woman’s response – citing how her parents approached vaccines. I think that how one is raised might be the biggest factor when it comes to deciding whether to vaccinate one’s children. I think that is true in general society, though even more so for the Amish.

On that note, back in 2013, one of our readers asked an Amish friend named John Stoltzfus (living in a Lancaster-related settlement in Lebanon County) about vaccination. Here is part of his response, touching on how parents are influential and how trends change within the Amish:

I know that in the 1970s and 80s most of the plain communities in this area received vaccines; however that has changed over the last decade or so. There is a much higher percentage of the Amish population now that doesn’t allow their children vaccine shots, than 30 years ago.

My feeling on the parents’ decision to not have their children get the shots, is that it isn’t a Biblical reason, it is a medical reason. Apparently there are some natural practitioners that have spoken out about the side effects of the child getting the vaccine.

I had all my shots, however my wife didn’t and in 1988 she had the measles while she was pregnant and our daughter did have ear-related issues as a child that we feel came from my wife having measles. After our experience, we made sure that all of our children have had the shots, and we are vocal advocates about the side effects of not getting the shots.

John mentioned “natural practitioners” speaking out about vaccine side effects. Anti-vaccination currents in general society can have influence on the Amish as well; as we’ve been over before, they are hardly isolated from the dominant culture, especially in a place like Lancaster County.

For Some, Faith in Alternative Treatments Remains

There’s another interesting part of the article. An Amish man shows Miller some ads in the Busy Beaver, a widely-read publication found in Plain communities in Pennsylvania and other states. Here are some “hooks” from the ads cited in the article:

“Got measles? Boost your child’s immune system with Micro daily gummies.”

“Unwanted measle symptoms? Herbalcilin could be your HERO!”

“Great protocol to help fight measles. Get quick relief.”

This is nothing new. Supplement producers know that Plain circles are ripe audiences for natural remedies. Browse Amish-read publications and you’ll be hard-pressed not to see some sort of health-related product.

I am regularly contacted by individuals with this or that health treatment, seeking assistance in breaking into the Amish market (if anyone was wondering, I can’t help with that). We also see them widely sold in Amish stores; many if not most variety and food stores have a supplement aisle of some sort.

I’m not passing judgment on these treatments. Maybe some help. But I think it is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. Vaccines rely on inoculation to train the body against a specific disease.

Supplements may help prevent illness in a general sense, by boosting the immune system. Or, as these ad hooks suggest, help recover after you’ve already gotten sick. But neither of those is targeted immunization for a specific illness.

This story provides further context to the ongoing measles outbreak reporting, by adding the thoughts of some Amish people themselves. Other pieces in this series include coverage of a measles outbreak in light of an Amish auction in Virginia back in the spring, and more recent looks at whether measles was in fact spreading in Amish communities without officials directly saying so.

Earlier this month, a health director reported eight measles cases among the Amish in three New York counties, and the Lancaster County coroner has confirmed that a 6-week-old Amish girl died from measles.