Every parent can empathize with Bates' situation. We only have to look at recent Delaware headlines to be sensitized to the demands placed on the parents of children with dramatic needs. Seth impacts Bates' thinking in no small way and creates a seemingly no-win situation for this family. If Bates continues to refuse to take the anthrax vaccine, he will face court-martial and imprisonment and be separated from his son. If he takes the shots, he risks debilitating consequences.
Autistic children live in a finely defined space between socialization and total withdrawal.
Perhaps we can't offer Major Bates a perfect world, but he should be permitted release without penalty from the anthrax vaccination requirement, at least until the controversy surrounding it is resolved. This is the only humane response to his dilemma and one he richly deserves. Dawn E. Rehnstrom is a public school teacher from Ellendale.