I almost died from the measles and my SIL has had life-long effects from the measles. My mother almost died when she had measles at 40. I had an uncle and a friend crippled by polio. I remember several babies dying of Diphtheria. These were all people I knew, we didn't have 24/7 news at the time. Less than five years ago a friend of ours got Chicken Pox from his children and almost died when his brain swelled. He lost his business because of being out of commission for over a month. It was inevitable that this would happen, not just because of the illegals but because global travel has also increased at the same time as vaccination has waned. It really isn't fear mongering when the effects of the disease are potentially deadly or crippling. I know that medicine in general has also advanced and those chances of death and crippling are much less likely than when I was a child. After having had Shingles I would surely immunize my kids against Chicken Pox I would never want them to hurt that bad.
It is absolutely fear mongering.
There seems to be an awful lot of side effects mentioned on the vaccine inserts too. So a parent should have the opportunity to do their research and make the decision that is best for their family.
http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/tools/MMR_vaccine_rates_information_sheet.pdf