Should Vaccines Be Mandated or Not?

It may not be black and white

Earlier this month, New York became the first US city to mandate vaccination proof for indoor dining and gyms, with San Francisco following second. Italy has mandated a health pass for leisurely activities like theaters and indoor dining, putting pressure on the unvaccinated. France has also mandated a COVID pass for many activities like museums, cinemas, and pools. And in Singapore, only the vaccinated are able to dine in, while the unvaccinated resort to takeout.

Safe to say that in much of the developed world, the pressure to get vaccinated is rising through the limiting of spaces and activities available to those who are not vaccinated. There’s been considerable pushback from the public with these mandates, and controversy is growing.

The question is, should vaccines be mandated?

It’s not a black and white issue

These mandates make it seem like the issue is simple — get vaccinated and enjoy the freedoms of life, or refuse the vaccine and stay cooped up in the confines of your home.

But it’s not that simple. For one, there are many reasons that someone might not be vaccinated — they could have health issues or conditions that prevent vaccination. Some people might not yet trust a new vaccine and want to wait until later in the rollout. Others might not feel COVID is a huge threat to their health and these people might be finding other ways to stay healthy, like maintaining a balanced lifestyle and taking care of their health.

The goal here is to keep everyone safe and healthy and we’ve made it seem like vaccinations are the only way to do that. But it’s not black and white — there are other ways you can keep the public safe that don’t require locking the unvaccinated out of activities and shared spaces.

Mandating vaccines is hypocritical and it’s all about money

The unvaccinated shouldn’t pose a threat to those already vaccinated, so why are governments keeping them segregated and out of public places? Why have these rules in place, but not have other laws and rules to protect people against other diseases and bigger killers?

Around 1.5 million people died from diabetes globally in 2019, yet there are no laws that ban sugary foods or drinks and the public has access to unhealthy foods. Lung cancer accounted for 1.8 million deaths globally in 2018, yet why aren’t cigarettes (that are linked to 80–90% of lung cancer cases) banned? Alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths globally, yet it’s still so easy to buy alcohol.

My take is that governments trust people to make good choices for themselves — to eat healthily, to not smoke, and to drink moderately. So, if that’s the case, why can’t we trust those who choose not to get vaccinated to make the same responsible choices? Of course, there are going to be people who make poor, stupid choices, but that’s their choice. If they want to ride a bike without a helmet or drink soda every day, that’s their prerogative.

And the second, more obvious answer: money.

Banning sugary foods means less money for corporations that profit off of sales and also our bad health. Banning cigarettes means less money for those companies. And of course, so many businesses would lose out if we banned alcohol.

I suspect the same is with vaccines — pharmaceutical companies are making profits off vaccines. And indeed, Pfizer has made 3.5 billion in revenue from the COVID vaccine in only the first three months of 2021. So really, mandating vaccines means the rich are lining their pockets and getting richer.

What happened to your body, your choice?

In the context of women’s rights, your body, your choice movement has emerged in relation to bodily autonomy when it comes to abortion. Following this logic, it should also be everyone’s choice what they decide to (or not to) inject into their body, including the COVID-19 vaccine.

I realize that the comparison to your body, your choice movement may not be the best one given the controversy surrounding it, but at the end of the day, we should all have control over our bodies and what we decide to do with them.

My two cents

In full transparency, I am vaccinated and had no problem with getting it. But seeing the people around me grow uneasy and worried about the pressure to get vaccinated makes me empathize and put myself in their shoes. Why should their rights and freedoms be limited just because they want autonomy and control over their body?

I’m following the world of COVID unravel from Thailand, where our vaccine rollout is painfully slow; to be honest, seeing the news of mandating vaccines is quite comical to me since Thailand is high key struggling with our vaccines and we’re nowhere near getting everyone vaccinated. So I do see vaccination as a privilege.

Thus, governments should absolutely offer and make available the vaccine to those who want and need it. They should also absolutely educate the public on vaccines and present the information in a digestible format to quell any hesitations from those who are on the fence.

But forcing and mandating everyone to get vaccinated to live their life — eat in restaurants, enter indoor spaces, travel, etc. — I don’t know, might it be a bit much? It’s creating segregation between groups and tension in a situation where everyone has a valid opinion.

Rather, I think the goal should be to focus on reducing illness and deaths and promoting good health. I’m not advocating for irresponsible actions and practices — we need to work together to curb this pandemic — but I do think that there are more shades of grey between the black and white of getting vaccinated or not.

P.S. I know this is an ever-changing and sensitive topic and I’m also growing and learning about it through the experiences of those around me. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on the matter.