It's still a choice. A lot of people think that, especially in the U.S. Variations on "my body, my choice" are the rallying cry with regard to vaccination (for CoViD-19 and maybe all vaccines) among people who, I would guess, don't believe that when it comes to a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. But I digress.
Here's the thing, though. If you choose not to wear a seat belt, any bad consequence will be yours alone. Ditto if you choose to eat foods harmful to your health, or to go rock-climbing solo.
However, some choices don't just affect you. Cigarette smoke spreads beyond the smoker. Driving under the influence can injure or kill other motorists or pedestrians. And remaining unvaccinated just because you're "not afraid" of SARS-CoV-2 means you are more likely to catch and to spread it to others, especially those who can't be vaccinated or whose natural immunity is compromised.
And then there's the very high likelihood of getting seriously ill yourself. Think that only affects you? Not if you're in a relationship or need to be hospitalized. A lot of other people might have to endure the consequences of your illness.
In the U.S., for better or worse, getting vaccinated is a choice, yes. The government isn't going to strap you down and inject you.
But like driving drunk, your choice to remain unvaccinated "just because" or "because freedom" (another rationale, if one can use that term) puts others at risk.
As a country we put up with drunk driving for decades, apparently because it was a sacred freedom to be able to get behind the wheel without being able to control it. We finally wised up. Now driving drunk is despicable and you're a grade-Z putz if you do.
We're well on the way to the same consensus on choosing not to be vaccinated against CoViD-19. For the same reason: the risk isn't yours alone. You have no right to risk other lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment