Why Kristen Bell Says Being Anti-Vaccination Is ‘Unacceptable’

Kristen Bell talked vaccinations, career, couples therapy, the birth of her kids, and more in an interview with Good Housekeeping for their May, 2015, issue. Kristen shared what it was like to give birth, how her view of her career has changed, why she is proud to be in couples therapy, and her views on vaccinations.

i loved this shoot and was proud of the article. thanks @goodhousemag ? https://t.co/wpqeOc4lYZ

— Kristen Bell (@IMKristenBell) April 15, 2015

Before having children, Bell said she thought she’d be against vaccinations. However, after having them, Kristen said she realized by not vaccinating her children, she would be putting other children at risk who may have weak immune systems. And that, Bell said, is unacceptable.

“I thought I would be anti-vaccination before I had kids… But there is a lot of scientific, proven information out there that shows why vaccinations are necessary. Kids with autoimmune diseases, kids who are receiving cancer treatments — they can’t be vaccinated because their immune systems [can’t handle it]. If your kid has leukemia, he can’t get vaccinations; if he then goes to school with my kid and I chose not to give my kid vaccinations, I’m putting your kid at risk. To me, that’s unacceptable. There are the weak among us whom we have to protect. As moms, our responsibility is not just to our kids — it’s to all the other kids, too.”

While Kristen admitted she wasn’t sure about having kids in the beginning, she said she “can now confirm having them is absolutely unmissable.” Bell and husband Dax Shephard have two daughters, Lincoln, 2, and Delta, four months. The birth of her children didn’t go exactly as planned — Bell ended up having a cesarean with Delta after also having one with Lincoln, but she’s happy to have two beautiful, healthy daughters.

Kristen and Dax’s daughters have changed the way Kristen views her career as an actress, too. She possesses more self-confidence, has decided to stop comparing herself to others, and now when she works, she knows she’s providing for her family.

Kristen also talked about being in couples therapy with Dax from the beginning. Bell credited the therapy to teaching her and her husband how to argue in a healthy way when they disagree on something, which Kristen said, “we disagree on almost everything!” Kristen and Dax proclaimed therapy has kept their relationship healthy and is nothing to be ashamed of.

It isn’t any secret Kristen Bell is outspoken and honest, and she recently took to Twitter to respond to a critic of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Most likely you’ve heard about Paltrow going on food stamps for a week with a multitude of skeptics on the Internet. Kristen decided to respond to one tweet in particular.

@Sassierprincess what a negative outlook. She’s challenging herself to step into someone else’s shoes. And youre being rude about it.

— Kristen Bell (@IMKristenBell) April 13, 2015

Just one more reason to love Kristen Bell.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]