If You Believe Vaccine Mandates Are Infringing on Your Rights, You're Completely Mistaken

I recall back in 2003 when New York City prohibited smoking in public areas like bars, restaurants, and workplaces. At that time, I was living and working in the city, and the backlash was intense. Many viewed smoking in a dimly lit bar while enjoying a drink as an essential part of the New York experience. People expressed that their freedom—and their way of life—was being stripped away.

Of course, that argument was flawed. What actually happened was that these public spaces became safer for all. Secondhand smoke is deadly, and while some might not care about the health risks they take by smoking, doing so in public endangers others. Does this sound familiar?

Over the past 18 months, we’ve heard a lot about personal freedom—the freedom to disregard lockdown and social distancing mandates, the freedom to forgo masks, and the freedom to refuse the vaccine. These claims revolve around the notion that individuals have the right to make choices about their own bodies, as this is America, and individual rights should prevail.

However, the argument for personal freedom only holds when it doesn’t involve endangering others. When dealing with a highly contagious virus that spreads easily, what you decide to do with your body can have significant—and often lethal—consequences for others.

Now that the COVID-19 vaccine is fully approved by the FDA and mandates are emerging from various sectors—including workplaces, schools, the military, and dining venues—we’re likely to encounter this “personal freedom/rights violation” argument more than ever before.

It’s time to put an end to this nonsense once and for all. If you choose not to get vaccinated, you’re accepting the risks associated with the virus for yourself, alongside the belief that no one should dictate what you put into your body. That’s certainly a personal choice, but when it concerns public health, your choices impact others (hence the term “public health”). Therefore, if you opt out of vaccination, you should also be prepared to miss out on certain activities and job opportunities.

This isn’t a new issue. There’s a longstanding precedent for vaccine mandates at both state and local levels, and this is merely an extension of that.

To clarify, vaccine mandates are entirely legal. We may not have a federal vaccine mandate, and as noted by Scientific American, it’s improbable that we will. However, we do have—and have had for a long time—state, local, and business-specific mandates for vaccines. Years of Supreme Court rulings, dating back to 1905 and 1922, affirm the right of states to implement such mandates. This is not about to change.

Schools have mandated vaccines for children for decades. Many healthcare facilities and businesses require vaccines like the flu shot. The military has a long tradition of vaccine mandates. A number of countries won’t allow you entry without proof of vaccination for diseases like yellow fever.

“But,” argue those who refuse vaccines, “requiring someone to be vaccinated to work, dine out, watch a movie, or go to the gym is a violation of human rights.” Let’s be clear—human rights are about protecting people from torture, ensuring access to shelter, clean water, and food. Claiming that being asked to receive a vaccine is a human rights violation is not just incorrect; it’s also disrespectful to the real human rights violations occurring around the world.

Moreover, let’s consider whose rights are actually being infringed upon when you choose not to vaccinate (or wear a mask, or stay home when ill) and then expose others to a potentially fatal virus. You are endangering children who are too young to be vaccinated, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised. You are risking the health of individuals who might not have yet accessed the vaccine due to various barriers like long work hours or lack of transport.

In simple terms, the bottom line is this:

The COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in combating the pandemic. They significantly lower your risk of severe illness from COVID, thereby reducing the burden on our healthcare system, which is nearing collapse in areas where the virus is rampant. The vaccines also lessen your chances of contracting the virus initially, which means you can’t spread it to others.

We must do everything possible to halt this deadly virus from spreading further. Vaccine mandates are reasonable, legal, compassionate, and protective. They are coming to a school, hospital, restaurant, gym, or workplace near you, whether you agree or not.

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Summary:

Vaccine mandates are legal and necessary for public health, especially during a pandemic. While individuals may feel that mandates infringe upon their personal freedoms, the reality is that our choices can have profound effects on the health of others. Vaccines are safe, effective, and critical in preventing severe illness and spreading the virus. Those who choose not to vaccinate must understand that their decisions can impact the broader community, particularly vulnerable populations.