Mom raised in anti-vaxxer household decided to vaccinate her daughters. Then the internet attacked.

A mom who was raised in an anti-vaxxer household, but decided to vaccinate her own daughters, posted on Facebook that she’s “glad” her children “don’t need to suffer through preventable infectious diseases.” The post hit a nerve with social media users on both sides of the debate.

Thousands of people flooded the comments section of Abbey Clint’s April 30 post. Clint, who said she “grew up unvaccinated before it was cool,” said she caught up on her innovations as an adult during both of her pregnancies. “Glad I didn’t catch measles while pregnant!” she wrote, then explained she’s doing things differently as a mom by getting her little ones vaccinated. “Preventative maintenance saves co-pays and saves lives,” she wrote.

The post included an image of her toddler and her 7-month-old daughter, the latter of which was at the doctor’s office that day to get inoculated. “Madelyn got her shots today!” the beaming mom wrote. She also included an infographic about vaccines and autism.

The post provoked many anti-vaxxers to shame Clint and to condemn vaccines as toxic. “Total cringe, nothing worse than seeing a Mum boast about poisoning their child,” one person wrote. “I hope this woman doesn’t lose a child or have one with serious injuries.”

“I find it disturbing that we can have open conversations about the link between cancer and vaccines in dogs, but not human babies,” another commented. “That says a lot.”

Others took aim at baby Madelyn, claiming she looked ill from the inoculations. “Yeah that baby looks sickly. Makes sense,” one said.

Another commenter wrote, “Your infant is showing signs already from vaccines. Her eye and mouth are drooping. Your toddler is also showing signs with that runny nose that’s been going on for awhile. Her nose wouldn’t be that irritated if it just started. Let their bodies do their jobs. You lived fine without vaccines. You’re proof to yourself that your children will continue to be fine without them.”

But Clint defended her baby, replying, “The runny nose started this morning. Her immune system can handle it. Astute observation tho Sherlock.”

The mom told BuzzFeed News that she’s no stranger to anti-vaxx arguments, as she was surrounded by them when she was younger and was raised by a mom who didn’t trust doctors or Western medicine. “We grew up without a lot of antibiotics, without any Tylenol, pain meds, or anything like that,” she said. “To this day my mom’s cupboard at home is full of all-natural supplements, and you cannot find an ibuprofen.”

Clint even encouraged dialogue among both the pro- and anti-vaxx crowds by asking questions about their belief systems. She started by asking, “What is your actionable solution that will quell the fears of pro-vaxxers/anti-vaxxers?”

Commenters obliged. One anti-vaxx commenter said, “Start by recognizing that the CDC still recommends fluoride and the FDA once proclaimed cigarettes to be safe. It’s all about profiting from a sick society.” Another wrote, “There are natural ways to help the body fight and recover from viruses. We have much better health care, and standards of cleanliness these days.”

People who shared Clint’s perspective on vaccinations answered the question too, with one commenting, “Freedom to choose to put lives at risk infringes on the right of children, elderly, and immunocompromised to live.” Another agreed, saying, “When you choose to be a member of society, you choose to live by it’s rules — be it dress, cleanliness, licensing, or disease protection.”

The subject of measles came up a lot in the online debate, as outbreaks of the disease are at a record high in the U.S., with more cases in 2019 than any year since the disease was declared eradicated in 2010, according to the CDC.

Some anti-vax commenters claimed that children who contract measles develop “lifelong immunity.” One person said, “Measles isn’t as scary as most believe it is … to the immune compromised, maybe, but again they could just as well catch the vaccine strain measles.”

“Back when people actually got vaccinations we didn’t have massive outbreaks of measles like we do now,” one pro-vaxxer countered. “My mother almost died from German measles and she is so thankful that we were all able to get vaccinations when were babies. Wake up America vaccinations were created for a reason/purpose.”

Clint told BuzzFeed News that her daughters are thriving since receiving their vaccines, though she can still sympathize with the anti-vaxxer stance, as she believes it stems from fear, just like it did for her own mother. “I think there is a lot of fear that is embedded in this whole issue,” she said. “That goes beyond simply the vaccines themselves.”

She said she and her husband had even agreed not to vaccinate their children before they had any, but as she continued to discuss the issue with friends and family — including her mother-in-law, who had rubella — she began to change her mind.

“What if I caught it? What if my baby caught it in my womb?” she said. “It’s preventable. That’s what’s shocking to me now.”

Clint said she now relies on the CDC’s recommended schedule, and that educating herself about the issue is “a gradual process.” Also unlike her own mother, Clint is pro-doctor. “I think it’s really important to have a doctor you trust,” she said. “I can’t emphasize that enough.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• What it’s like to develop meningitis in college: ‘I couldn’t walk’

• Mom of 5-month-old with measles blames ‘negligence of other parents’ for daughter’s virus

• Why these ‘anti-vaxxers’ are holding their ground: ‘It’s about fundamental rights’

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