Its not just vaccines — parents are refusing other routine preventive care for newborns

Summary: Doctors are growing very worried because more parents are saying "no" to routine, life-saving care for their newborns. This problem goes far beyond just vaccines. Parents are now refusing vitamin K shots, which have been used since 1961 to stop dangerous bleeding, and special eye drops that prevent blindness. In fact, refusals of vitamin K shots have nearly doubled since 2017.

Why is this happening? It is a mix of social media myths, political mistrust, and the false idea that "natural is always better." Doctors warn that babies are born with very low levels of vitamin K and cannot make their own. Skipping this simple shot makes a newborn 81 times more likely to suffer severe, life-threatening bleeding in the brain or stomach. Pediatricians are trying their best to listen to parents and educate them, hoping to save babies from totally preventable tragedies.

For more details, see rssapp-health-care at opb.org/article/2026/03/21/it-s-not-just-vaccines-parents-are-refusing-other-routine-preventive-care-for-newborns/ (opens in new tab)