View this post on Instagram[1]
On June 8, Kat Von D wrote a long Instagram post about the unsolicited advice and negative comments [3] she's been getting since announcing her pregnancy with husband, Leafar Seyer [4]. Within that post, the makeup artist mentioned that she'd be having her child at home [5] without drugs and that she'd be raising him vegan. She then slipped in that he also would be raised without vaccines.
From there, the mom-to-be moved on, telling her followers that this is her own pregnancy journey and that the negative comments won't get to her — that she's going to do her own research and make her own decisions. Which is understandable, except many readers had serious concerns that she'd be raising her son without vaccines.
The effects of not getting your child vaccinated could be literally deadly — and not just for them. It can effect other children [6] and people who are unable to get vaccinated for health reasons, such as a weak immune system. For reference, a study published in JAMA last year revealed that just a five percent drop among kids who receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination could cause measles cases to spike threefold annually [7].
A week after her first Instagram photo blew up the internet and people with virtual pitchforks aired out their frustrations with her no-f*cks proclamation, Kat posted another photo with an even longer caption to say that she's not anti-vaxx, and that things aren't "always so black and white."
My husband and I are NOT anti-vaxxers. We are not against vaccines. Just because we have hesitancies and valid concerns about injecting our baby with specific chemicals and toxins does not mean we are anti anything. As a soon-to-be-parent [and especially as a first-time-mom] I do feel it my responsibility to have questions, and to listen to my motherly instinct to question things, and do my research.
What we have found is that sometimes it isn't always so black and white. While we believe medications, including vaccines, are not all bad — we also can't dismiss the fact that some may not be good for everyone. . . Our personal medical records are no one's business, and why we would feel it important for us to explore all our options when it comes to vaccinating our child, is also no one's business — regardless of what I post on Instagram.
So, perhaps before any of you feel inspired to harass us, spew hatred, or send ill-will our way, I hope you would try and understand that this is our first child together, and we are simply just trying our best.
Kat says she will no longer be publicly discussing this topic, nor will she be fighting anyone, which is why she chose to turn the comments off on her new post.