The Case against Vaccine Mandates

More than 26% of Americans don’t want a vaccine.*

But, despite that opposition – and the fact that the vaccine has become politically polarized – it is being forced on thousands.

We should all be horrified by vaccine mandates. This is the most blatant political power-move that I’ve ever seen in America. Thankfully, the people are beginning to raise their voices against it.

You may be in favor of the vaccine, and may think that we all need it, but here is the case for why vaccine mandates are wrong – and why you (vaccinated or not) should object loudly.

I’ll lay out the case step-by-step, so you can see the logic exactly. At the end, I’ve got a number of questions and answers, to help you understand this better.

(1) Everyone has a God-given right to make their own healthcare decisions. To put it in the blunt words of many progressives, ‘my body, my choice.’

(2) This is not a vaccine, it’s a precautionary treatment. A vaccine works by creating immunity, but the Pfizer vaccine (probably the most common) is only 41-79% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. Many places have gone back to mask mandates because the vaccine is so ineffective in preventing symptomatic disease. This will be the first time that we’ve ever widely mandated a precautionary treatment.

(3) A huge swath of the population does not want to get this ‘vaccine.’ Some people may come to this decision without reason; others are rightly worried about the long-term effects of this vaccine on reproduction (which has not been studied). But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter – it is their choice, regardless of what others think. More than one out of every four eligible individuals in the USA does not want this, yet it’s being mandated more and more.

(4) Now that a ‘vaccine’ is available, you can’t blame others for getting seriously ill. You can get sick from both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals. If you (or someone else) becomes seriously ill, one of two things happened: either you didn’t get vaccinated, or you were one of the rare people for whom the vaccine wasn’t effective. In other words, this isn’t someone else’s fault. No longer can you use the argument that the vaccine protects others.

(5) Although there are a few rare exceptions, government does not have the authority to take away your God-given rights. We are no longer in the initial stages of this pandemic, when we didn’t know how deadly the virus was. We also have an approved ‘vaccine’ (precautionary treatment) for anyone who wants it. This means that if the government does mandate the vaccine, they are directly trampling on the God-given rights that they have been tasked to protect.

(6) It is true that, with some exceptions, private businesses have the right to mandate vaccines. But it is also true that citizens have the right and responsibility to stand up against businesses that are heavy-handed.

I need to explain this point in detail: although we all have God-given rights, we can engage in a sort of barter with private organizations, where we voluntarily give up those rights. To an extent, this is common sense. While I have the right to freedom of speech, I may work for a company that does not allow its employees to say negative things about the company on social media. While I am ‘giving up’ my right to freedom of speech, it’s not a particularly outrageous demand, and I can choose to work somewhere else if I don’t agree to their terms.

This changes when a company demands something outrageous. Let’s say that a company refuses to allow you to practice your religion when you work for them. This is an outrageous demand, and (while the company has the ‘right’ to demand this) every good citizen should oppose such a company by boycotting their products and refusing to work for them.

Now imagine that every company, or at least the vast majority of companies in the nation, were to demand that you have to give up your some important human right. Now you are truly in a bind – although the government isn’t taking away your right, you are still in the same position. At this point, the citizenry all need to take a stand together and resist. Ultimately, if the businesses still don’t back down, it’s time for the government to pass legislation to protect the rights of the people (remember: that is the main job of government – to protect the rights of the people).

(7) To restate what I just said: by refusing to stand up to bully businesses, we effectively give up our rights.

Unfortunately, we haven’t always stood up to the bullies. Facebook and Twitter are the prime example. They control the ‘public square,’ the modern equivalent of the traditional marketplace, where everyone could gather and have his or her voice heard. These companies have blatantly curtailed freedom of speech, especially among conservatives. We didn’t stand up to them effectively, and the result is that while we still have freedom of speech de jure, we are without freedom of speech de facto.

(8) When the overwhelming majority of businesses and venues curtail the same human right, then our rights have been effectively taken away. This is happening, and it is happening very fast. It’s starting with a few ‘progressive’ businesses. Many hospitals are now mandating it. Next, colleges and universities will begin mandating it so that they can continue to send nursing and medical students into those hospitals. Next it will be food companies, so that they can continue to supply the hospitals. Then it will be medical suppliers, IT services, and so on. A few (very hard left) ‘change-making’ institutions are having a dramatic effect in pushing these mandates, and they want everyone to follow.

(9) Anytime that we begin to force a significant sector of the population (in this case, more than one out of every four) to take a precautionary treatment – especially when it is a political issue – we are setting a terrible precedent. We are saying, ‘we require this, despite your objections.’ You may be in favor of these mandates – but what about the next time, when you find yourself in the minority? Are you willing to set the precedent of allowing the majority to force their views on the minority? Beware: if we settle for this, future political disagreements will be ended by ‘mandating’ actions on the resistance.

(10) At the end of the day, this is a denial of basic God-given human rights. This is not in any way a ‘typical’ vaccine mandate, like the MMR or Tdap vaccine. There is still hope – if we all stand up and raise our voices against this. But if we don’t, then it will quickly become almost universal.

(11) Finally, keep in mind that we are all responsible to stand up for the rights of others, regardless of how they use those rights. You may be vaccinated, and you may be convinced that everyone should get the vaccine, but you should still stand up for the right of individuals to make their own healthcare decisions. It could be your rights that they come for next.

Now, time for some questions and answers:

Q: I think the vaccine is safe, and this article is disgusting because it is advocating that people not receive the vaccine.

A: I agree that I think the vaccine is safe, and I believe that EVERYONE should have the choice to receive the vaccine. I’m not against the vaccine: I’m against people being forced to give up their basic human rights because companies mandate this vaccine. I’m against forcing 26% of the population to receive a precautionary treatment that they don’t want to receive. This has nothing to do with vaccines; this has to do with respecting basic human rights.

Q: People who don’t get the vaccine are dumb.

A: There are lots of dumb people in the world, but I will still stand up for their human rights, regardless of their IQ. Also, there are some very smart people who are not getting the vaccine, for various reasons, such as young, healthy people of childbearing age who have already survived COVID and are rightly concerned about the long-term effects of this vaccine on reproduction, which has not been studied over multiple years.

Q: The majority of most businesses aren’t requiring this.

A: Not yet, but the tide is changing very fast. There is going to be a ripple effect, as I already explained. Now is the time to stand up against this. If you wait until it is universal, it will be too late.

Q: We’ve already mandated vaccines. Why are you making such a big deal of this one, when many places already require Tdap, MMR, etc.?

A: First, this isn’t a vaccine in the true sense – it’s a precautionary treatment. We’ve never mandated that before. Second, none of those other mandates have been forced on a hugely suspicious population.

Q: I believe that private businesses have the right to mandate this vaccine.

A: Yes, private businesses have the right to take away any right that they wish – and private citizens have the right (and obligation) to push back against that. Just because they have the right doesn’t mean that they should – and if we aren’t willing to push back against them, then we rightly deserve to have our freedoms stripped away.

Q: I’ve already been vaccinated, so this doesn’t affect me.

A: Whenever peoples rights are violated, it affects you. It sets broader precedents in society.

Q: Why don’t most people think this is a big deal?

A: I’ve been talking to a lot of people, and I am hearing broad amounts of resistance. Many vaccinated people are very upset about this. However, some people feel unable to fight back. They need to know that they are not alone – many others share their concerns. There is much opposition to mandates.

Q: This is a slippery slope, I agree, but it isn’t that bad.

A: A ‘slippery slope’ is something that is not morally wrong, but that sets a wrong precedent. This, however, is morally wrong. We are trampling on basic human rights. That means that we have already gone down the slippery slope.

Q: Why do you sound like such a doom-and-gloomer?

A: Because (in addition to the horrific disregard for human rights), this sets a terrifying precedent in one of three ways:

(1) It could be a test for something even more sinister

(2) Sinister individuals are certainly watching to see the results of this, and to learn how to mandate other things that we wouldn’t want.

(3) Even if there is nothing else that is sinister afoot, this pushes people to become compliant, so that the next time this happens, we are going to be more willing to do whatever the companies demand. This is HUGELY concerning, especially as it is now clear that soft totalitarianism is coming on America.

Q: I don’t think this is as big of an issue as you say it is.

A: Anytime that 26% of the population is being forced to give up their basic human rights as a condition of employment (or, in some cases, in order to engage in common activities like eating at restaurants) we are dealing with a big issue.

Q: People have the opportunity to opt out of this because of medical or religious exemptions.

A: Most people do not. From the anecdotal evidence that I am hearing all around me, most doctors are refusing to write medical exemptions for all but a very small number of people. Let’s say that you are a healthy young lady in your early twenties who has already had COVID and survived without any lingering effect. You are hoping to have children in the future. Such a person has a very good reason to be hesitant of the vaccine: they already know that they are highly likely to survive future rounds of COVID, and they already have resistance. We also don’t know about the long-term effects of this vaccine on reproduction. Such a person is not dumb or stupid to refuse the vaccine: they have very legitimate reasons to be cautious about receiving it. However, such a person would most likely not be allowed the opportunity for a medical exemption.

Religious exemptions are even more challenging, because it requires that the individual could not take the vaccine in good conscience. Few people are truly at that level. But even if someone is at that point – the anecdotal evidence that I am hearing is that few businesses are accepting religious exemptions. They are offering such exemptions in order to ‘check a box,’ but without actually intending to accept many, if any, of the religious exemption requests that are submitted.

Q: I didn’t want the vaccine, but I’m planning to or already received it, because I was pressured into it.

A: First of all, I’m sorry that you were pressured into it. What you have experienced is exactly the sort of tyranny that needs to be fought against. Taking care of your own health is something that you, not others, are responsible for. Second, I understand that various circumstances mean that sometimes we have to accept this stripping away of our liberty. Just because you were forced to do this does not mean that you are weak in the face of opposition. We all have a balancing act to play. Third, don’t consider yourself to be ‘out of the fight.’ Even if you have received the vaccine against your will, you can still argue against it. Speak openly about the evil of this mandate: it is turning into a direct violation of basic human rights.

Q: People who don’t get the vaccine are hurting others.

A: This argument was legitimate until there was a widely-available ‘vaccine’ (more accurately, preventative treatment) available. Now that this is available for everyone, you have only yourself to blame if you don’t get the vaccine and consequently have a serious COVID case.

Q: If we could just get people to take this vaccine, the pandemic would go away.

A: I’m not sure what alternate universe you are living in, but it’s clearly not going away like that. This isn’t a vaccine – it’s a preventative treatment in which a relatively high percentage of vaccinated individuals can still pass the disease on to other vaccinated individuals.

Q: I’m not sure if I should get the vaccine.

A: Educate yourself, talk to a doctor that you trust, and consider receiving the vaccine. Don’t accept an opinion without documented evidence. Consider the risks and benefits, but don’t oppose the vaccine just because it is ‘new.’ At the end of the day, it is your own decision, and you shouldn’t feel pressured to receive it – nor should you avoid it because you are pressured by friends or family to not receive it.

*Note: as of September 1, 2021, this is the number of eligible adults who have not yet received any dose of any COVID vaccine. At this point in the pandemic, any American who wants the vaccine could have it – so this number accurately represents how many Americans don’t want it. But this number doesn’t include those who have already felt compelled to take it. Hence, more than 26% of Americans don’t want it.