Bec Judd has proven, once again, that is she all for vaccination by posting the emotional plea of Australian doctor, Rachel Heap who has long been a campaigner against the misinformation spread by ‘professional anti-vaxxers’.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday night, mum-of-four Judd shared a poster created by Heap a couple of years ago which has recently received viral attention.
“I saw the story about this pic. Oh how I love it and the doctor who wrote these words”
The poster, which is more emotional and ‘snarky’ than the content usually created by intensive care doctor, Heap and shared by her group, Northern Rivers Vaccination Supporters reads:
“Not vaccinating your kids leaves them vulnerable to disease their whole lives.
“When your daughter gets rubella when pregnant, how are you going to explain that you chose to leave her at risk?
“What will you say when she calls you and tells you she has cervical cancer because you decided that she wouldn’t need the HPV vaccine?
“What do you tell your son when he breaks the news to you that he cannot have kids thanks to the mumps that he got as a teenager?
“And what do you say when he gives influenza to his grandma? How do you explain that she won’t be coming home from hospital? Not ever.
“Do you tell them that you didn’t think these diseases were that serious? That you thought your organic, home cooked food was enough to protect them?
“Do you say sorry?”
35-year-old Judd shared an image of that poster, adding her own caption endorsing the message. “I saw the story about this pic. Oh how I love it and the doctor who wrote these words”
“This comes from the truth that I live, breathe and witness every day”
In 2016, on the back of the No Jab, No Play policy coming into effect, Heap noticed a lot of parents in the comment sections speaking about “their rights” and felt compelled to respond on behalf of the rights of their children. Her emotional words drew such attention, that it was suggested she turn them into a meme, and that is how the poster was born.
“The conversation I was seeing seemed to be all about what the parents wanted, and the choices they were making, and I had to respond,” Heap tells Now To Love.
“I get that parents have rights, I really do, but parents don’t own their children, those children have rights too. Nobody was talking about the rights of kids to be protected.”
Intensive care doctor, Rach Heap penned the emotional poster after seeing parents talking about ‘their rights to choose’ while ignoring the rights of their children to be protected against vaccine preventable diseases.
Heap explains that being winter, she had just come off a particularly bad run of treating adults who were suffering severe complications from vaccine preventable diseases.
“I’d been looking after people with complications from cervical cancer – which is no walk in the park, aside from being potentially fatal, the treatments are vile” she says.
“I’d had a guy in with mumps. Patients with late and dangerous complications from whooping cough .. you name it,” says Heap. “So when I saw parents talking about ‘their rights’ I had to address it. It is perhaps more snarky than the very respectful, factual content that NRVS usually puts out, but it seems to be making an impact.”
The poster has recently gone viral after being photographed on the wall of a doctor’s surgery in Colorado.
Bec Judd is no stranger to vaccination support
Judd’s Instagram Story is not the first time that she’s publicly shared her opinion on vaccination. She has shared images of herself getting the flu jab, and of her twin boys, Tom and Darcy heading out to get their protection, writing: “Yes, it may be slightly unpleasant (try doing two at once) but please immunise your kids,” later adding; “You have a responsibility to not only them but the community as a whole.”
Model and WAG, Judd shares six-year-old son, Oscar, four-year-old daughter, Billie and identical twin sons, Tom and Darcy who are nearly two, with husband, AFL legend, Chris Judd.
