Swine Flu-to Vaccinate or Not?

When the Swine Flu issues began back in April, Monkeyboy started referring to the Swine Flu as "Babe the Piggy Sneezy Cough," after hearing the reference on a talk radio show. Not funny to some, but to us, we found it rather humorous.
We are kinda strange like that.
Anyway.
Shortly before school started, the media began it's "Babe the Piggy Sneezy Cough" hype to warn parents about the dangers of the Swine Flu. Now, I am in no way downplaying the importance of information about something potentially as hazardous as the Piggy Flu, but like all things disseminated via the mainstream media, sometimes the information is made to frighten instead of educate. In one of my earlier readings on the Piggy Flu, I found that had the virus been around a few weeks prior to its onset, it would have just been lumped into the regular flu. However, since it took its time infecting and varying its strain, it became it's own little flu virus.
Lucky for us, right?
And now, we as parents are faced with the decision to vaccinate or not.
In Broward County, Florida, the school board in conjunction with the Health Department, is offering the Swine Flu vaccine for free to all students and homeschooled children. Parents would be required to sign a form, giving permission for their child to be vaccinated.
It bothers me that the school system would engage in vaccinating its students because really, I don't believe it falls into their educational responsibilities. It also sends the message that if you do not vaccinate, or conform, you are risking your child's well-being and are therefore, not being a good parent. None of this is said, of course, just implied. The media portrays parents who refuse the vaccine as crazy and irresponsible and this could not be further from the truth.
First, too many variables are part of this equation and for my family, I am not willing to take that chance. My thought is that this vaccine has not been studied long enough to know the long-term effects of its contents, thus, the health of my children is at risk.
In addition, the school board should not play a role in the vaccinating of children. It is not their job. If the county wishes to offer the vaccine at no cost and parents decide they want to take advantage of said vaccine, the parents should be required to take their children to a clinic, their personal pediatrician or the health department to receive those vaccines.
Not. To. The. School.
It's why we have places like the clinics, doctor's offices and the health department to go to for medical care. School should not be associated with vaccines or medication.
Ultimately, it is my decision to decide what is best for my children and to bring them to their pediatrician for those shots. I consult with my pediatrician on all matters concerning the health of my children and really, their opinion is extremely important, but it is not the be all, end all. I reserve the right to make the final decision regarding the medical care of my children because I am their parent.
Also, it is not the responsibility of the school system, the state or the county to vaccinate my child or yours. Again, the variables come into play. If the county and the school board are going to endorse a vaccine, I would think that they would want to have explored all the potential side-effects of the contents of the vaccine, to protect themselves from any lawsuits further down the line. Because plausible deniability or doing the greater good for the masses would not make me, as a parent, feel better if something were to go wrong.
Just saying.
It sets the school and the county up for issues they are not prepared to deal with. Schools are for educating, not medicating or vaccinating.
As a mom, I say do the research for yourself. Decide what is best for YOUR children. For your family because in the end, that is all that matters. If there are ramifications from the vaccine, you will have to be the one to deal with it. By the same token, if your children come down with the Piggy Flu, you will have to deal with that as well. Or, maybe nothing will happen at all.
Hopefully, that is the case.
So tell me, what will you do?

***FYI***Tonight on Fox News Glenn Beck will be presenting both sides of the Swine Flu vaccine issue. The show airs on the Fox News Channel at 5pm if you're interested.