Requiring every American to be vaccinated is unethical and dangerous
Every few years, it seems that a new and bizarre pseudo-philosophy emerges out of the depths of the internet. Within the last few decades, we’ve seen people that believe that the moon landing was faked, people that believe 9/11 was an inside job, flat-earthers and other ridiculous “philosophies” form out of the ignorance of society.
But up until recently, these beliefs never posed an actual risk to people. That is until the recent resurgence of the anti-vaccination movement.
Within the last few years, the number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children has risen in several states, including Idaho, Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota and even North Dakota.
The whole anti-vax movement really gained infamy after the Senate Health Committee hearing on March 5, in which the committee heard the testimony of Ethan Lindenberger, an 18-year-old that got vaccinated despite the views of his anti-vaccination parents.
As disturbing as this trend toward not vaccinating children is, I’ve seen another atrocious belief grow, this time within the pro-vaccination camp.
With the recent rise in people against vaccinations, many vaccination advocates have adopted the push toward mandatory vaccination for all children. In my opinion, this belief that the government should be able to force you to take certain medicines, whether you agree to it or not, is not only incredibly unethical, but also borderline unconstitutional.
In my opinion, this belief that the government should be able to force you to take certain medicines, whether you agree to it or not, is not only incredibly unethical, but borderline unconstitutional
Let me make my stance on vaccines perfectly clear before I continue: I am vaccinated and believe that people should vaccinate themselves and their children.
There is no evidence to back up the claim that vaccines will give a person autism. Vaccines work more often than not, although they are not guaranteed to work 100 percent of
That being said, I am also a Constitutionalist and someone who values personal autonomy. I believe it is the right of every person that they should be able to do with their bodies what they wish, so long as they don’t directly harm another individual or violate anyone else’s rights.
As it stands right now, there is no federal requirement for American citizens to be vaccinated. However, all 50 states do require by law that students be vaccinated, although the extent of these requirements vary by state.
Some states require that any child attending a public school, daycare facility, private schools and even universities and colleges be vaccinated. Most states do offer the ability to remain exempt from vaccination on the grounds of religious or philosophical reasons, which I believe is a definite must when it comes to this issue.
Despite these government-enforced requirements, there is still a push by many people in the United States and in other Western countries to make vaccination a federal mandate. As I stated before, I believe that every individual should have autonomy over their own body.
Requiring all American school children and students to be vaccinated is already a large enough infringement on personal liberty. Forcing every American to get vaccinated, even if they refuse to do so, is a gross infringement on our Constitutional rights.
A federal mandate on mandatory vaccinations would open a Pandora’s box of significant proportion. Mandatory vaccinations, especially on a federal level, will set the precedent of allowing the government to choose what you can and cannot put into your body.
Do you really want the government to have the ability to control your body and health to such an extent? What would happen if a vaccine is introduced that didn’t work, or one that had adverse health effects that you didn’t want to suffer from?
Like I said earlier, I have been vaccinated and believe people should vaccinate themselves and their children. But I believe in liberty and autonomy, and sacrificing our individual freedom in the name of security is undoubtedly the wrong path to take.
Personally, I’d rather run the risk of those idiotic few that don’t vaccinate themselves and their children having adverse effects on our society
This country was founded on the belief that you should have control over yourself and your property, and giving the government the ability to exert control over what you do or do not put into your body is not only immoral, but flies in the face of our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
If we as a society allow our government to enforce mandatory vaccinations on us, we are essentially scrubbing our right to liberty out of our founding document.