I’m a pediatrician in the South, and I really want you and your children to get vaccinated

I have spent a large part of my career advocating for the safety and efficacy of vaccines for children and adults. As a pediatrician in Columbia, South Carolina, I have had many conversations with parents about vaccines that prevent whooping cough, measles, mumps, polio, meningitis, hepatitis, cervical cancer, and now COVID-19. After several years of these conversations, I have found ways to present the facts while also listening carefully and respectfully to parents’ concerns and answering any questions that children and teens may have. But the COVID-19 vaccine conversations are different. So...