America is a country that stands for liberty and freedom. American citizens are granted freedoms such as political and religious freedom, freedom of speech, and many other freedoms. However, a certain right that quite a few American citizens are currently having taken away from them is medical freedom.The specific form of medical freedom currently in jeopardy is the decision to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in March of 2019, there was a great amount of fear and stress everywhere and many unusual precautions were being taken. When the first COVID-19 vaccine – made by Pfizer-BioNTech – was issued to the public on December 11, 2020, it was all the rage. After all, people saw a light at the end of a dark tunnel, and assumed that once people began receiving the vaccine this whole coronavirus nightmare would be over. But the nightmare isn’t over and it most likely won’t be for a while.
Many companies and organizations are requiring their employees to get both doses of the COVID vaccine. Delta Airlines recently announced that any of their employees that refuse to get the vaccine will be forced to pay $200 per month and undergo weekly COVID testing. And it’s not just Delta Airlines that is requiring their employees to get the vaccine; several companies are mandating the vaccine for their employees. In fact, California is currently suffering from a severe shortage of nurses in hospitals because many nurses are quitting their jobs because of mandatory COVID vaccine laws.
People should not have to quit (or lose) their jobs, or be forced to pay money in order to keep their jobs just because they have an unpopular opinion about a potentially harmful vaccine. By mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, many American citizens will become more stressed, enraged, and demanding of their civil rights.
There are many valid reasons as to why so many people are hesitant to get vaccinated for COVID-19. First of all, vaccines typically take an average of nine to ten years to be fully and safely developed, and the first COVID vaccine was made publicly available less than two years after the first COVID case was announced. Not only does that make the vaccine untrustworthy, but it causes many people to worry about the potential risks and side effects of the vaccine. Furthermore, getting the vaccine does not exempt you from getting the virus; you can still contract COVID, spread it, and suffer from it. Though there is a great chance that you will not die from COVID if vaccinated, you can still be negatively impacted by it. So why are people being forced to get the vaccine if it doesn’t really protect you from the virus? Not to mention, COVID-19 is a virus, which means it’s going to be around for a long, long time. The vaccine is not going to make the virus disappear; healthy diets and strengthened immune systems are what will force the virus to have way less of a negative impact on our society. Another hesitancy factor is the various side effects of the shots. Many people have reported many uncomfortable side effects, some of which are even worse than COVID itself. If there are more cons and negative impacts than pros when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, maybe the vaccine shouldn’t be mandated, but recommended.
Medical freedom is a right that all people deserve. Forcing people to get vaccinated is just going to threaten that freedom. The COVID vaccine should not be mandatory, because of the negative impacts it can have on one’s body, and because it takes away our right as American citizens to choose what goes into our bodies and what stays out.
