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• Since 1961, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that all newborns receive a vitamin K1 injection to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), which can be life-threatening
• Parental refusal of the vitamin K1 injection for their newborn is on the rise, and one study found a correlation between vitamin K1 shot refusal and subsequent vaccine avoidance
• Children who did not receive the vitamin K shot at birth were also 14.6 times more likely to be unvaccinated at the age of 15 months. The findings were said to offer a means to identify “high-risk” parents that will be prone to not vaccinating their children
• Parents have had their newborn babies taken from them simply because they declined the vitamin K injection. Several Illinois families have filed a class-action lawsuit against local hospitals, the AAP, the DCFS and several pediatricians
• The vitamin K1 injection presents unnecessary and avoidable risks. A safe and effective noninvasive way to avoid VKDB is to administer multiple doses of oral vitamin K1…

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