Jake Final Draft

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Dec 6, 2023

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Jake 1 Jake Professor Name ENG 2 nd November 2023 Are Vaccines Truly Necessary? COVID-19 pandemic, the global health crisis that has shapeshifted the lives of millions by affecting the emotional, physical, and financial well-being of people is still out there in the world and the solution to this problem – COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines have been viewed as the key solution to ending the pandemic and bringing the world back to normalcy (Pollard et al.). But this solution is more complicated than the general public thinks. The availability, accessibility and acceptability of these vaccines are contentious across different parts of the world. This is a discussion that invokes controversy at every step. Should the COVID-19 vaccines and their implementation be mandated? If yes, who gets vaccinated? These are just some of the many questions that arise during this discussion. Vaccines mandates are a complex measure to take because they can have both positive and negative effects on the health of the vaccinated as well as on the public human rights and social justice. Through the course of this writing, I will present and analyze 4 different argumentative stances that have been taken on the issue. Of the many arguments, one of the main reasoning in favor of COVID-19 vaccine mandates is that they are necessary for the public and their need is justified. This position is held and supported by the various stakeholders which are public health care authorities, vulnerable

Jake 2 groups like the elderly population and essential workers who are at the forefront of the healthcare industry, schools and more (Maneze et al.). Public health authorities play a vital role and are held accountable for protecting the health and upholding the well-being standards of the public including limiting the spread of infectious diseases. They believe that vaccine mandates are an effective way to increase vaccination rate and develop a herd immunity (a threshold of population immunity that if attained would prevent sustained transmission of the virus). They support their argument based on the best available scientific evidence on the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines. Additionally, they also argue that vaccines are means to ensure the common good and protect the rights of others especially those who have not gotten the opportunity to get vaccinated. Alongside these public healthcare authorities, vulnerable groups are those communities that are at a higher effective risk rate such as the elderly, immunosuppressed, etc (Wilkenfeld and Johnson). These communities argue that vaccine mandates are a necessary measure to protect their rights to life especially when they cannot get vaccinated for reasons that cannot be altered. Essential workers also place importance on these vaccine mandates as a necessary measure to protect and shield themselves from COVID-19 so as to keep their health intact while making sure their services to the general public are unaffected (Giubilini et al.). The second position held is that vaccine mandates are unnecessary. The main stakeholders of this position are civil liberties groups who are concerned about the potential infringement of individual rights, vaccine-hesitant or vaccine-repulsive groups and individuals who have questions about the safety and necessity of these vaccines and religious group or minorities that may have specific practices that conflict with the application of these vaccines

Jake 3 (David Cole). Civil liberties groups are concerned about the potential infringement of rights and freedoms by the state and claim that vaccine mandates are not necessary because voluntary vaccination is sufficient to achieve high levels of immunization and reduce transmission as showcased and evidenced by the likes of Sweden, Switzerland, and other European countries. They also argue that vaccine mandates introduce an element of counterproductivity because they are capable of increasing resistance among the public and could possibly undermine the informed consent process that is a requirement for ethical vaccination (David Cole). Additionally, vaccine-hesitant individuals are ones have who objections about the safety and necessity of the COVID-19 vaccines and argue that these mandates are unnecessary because they hold the right to make their own decisions based on their preferences, beliefs, and values. Lastly, religious minorities are those that have specific practices in place that conflict the policies of the mandate (Bennett et al.). They contend that these mandates are against their cultural practices. The third view held is that vaccine mandates should be implemented with exceptions and the key stakeholders are moderate policymakers who strive to bring about balance in the public health benefits and legal experts who provide guidance on the human rights standards for vaccine mandates (Canning et al.). Moderate policymakers claim that vaccine mandates should be implemented with exemptions to those who hold valid medical reasoning, those that have religious objections against getting vaccinated, etc. They believe that vaccine mandates should be implemented with oversight and attention to ensure that the entire process fair and respectful of human dignity. Moving on, medical professionals are those groups that advise on the scientific elements of vaccine like its eligibility, implications, etc. They bring about points like how vaccine mandates should be implemented with exemptions given to those with medical

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Jake 4 conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated like if they are pregnant or have allergies, etc (Canning et al.). Since these groups gauge the scientific elements of vaccination, they contend that vaccine mandates should only be pushed if there is much know about the vaccine itself. The last position of this debate involves Libertarian activists and anti-vaccine groups that oppose any form of government intervention in individual liberty and reject scientific consensus and promote conspiracy theories. Libertarian activists oppose any and every form of government intervention that interferes with the lives of the public and their individual rights. They believe that vaccine mandates should not be implemented at any cost because it violates the natural rights and sovereignty of individuals over their own health decisions (Donovan). They hold the idea that vaccine mandates are ineffective and that individuals can make better decisions for themselves rather than the state. Similarly, anti-vaccine groups are those who reject the scientific consensus and the public health authorities on the COVID-19 vaccines and build theories of conspiracies while spreading misinformation. These communities believe that vaccine mandates should not be pushed because they stem from false premises and corrupted interests of the pharmaceutical industry and the government (Donovan). Lastly, Anarchist movements are those resist any form of social hierarchy and demand for radical revolutions. They believe that these mandates should not be implemented because they are attempts to control, manipulate, and oppress the existing social hierarchy. They also contend that vaccine mandates should completely not be implemented because they are contrary to the principles of freedom, equality, and solidarity that these communities and supposedly all humans should uphold.

Jake 5 Through the course of this essay, I have managed to discuss the issue of whether COVID- 19 vaccine mandates should be implemented. This is a conversation that has sparked quite the debate from various important groups. It should be reinstated that mandates of any kind especially vaccines should be very critically thought out because they are a complex and controversial measure to push to the public. Implementations of such policy should be context specific with consideration of factors like region, population type, etc. The four argumentative positions discussed in this paper all shed light on the various controversial opinions that come up in the debate. Each position has its own merits alongside drawbacks but ultimately the decision on vaccine mandates depends on the collective emphasis on both the risks and the benefits. This is an issue that is dynamic and is evolving as we humans progress more and more so more discussion is needed.

Jake 6 Works Cited Bennett, Monica M, et al. “Attitudes and Personal Beliefs about the COVID-19 Vaccine among People with Covid-19: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.” BMC Public Health , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 Oct. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9579584/. Canning, Alexa G, et al. “Ethics and Effectiveness of US Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates and Vaccination Passports: A Review.” Journal of Research in Health Sciences , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 11 May 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9818041/. David Cole, Daniel Mach. “Civil Liberties and Vaccine Mandates: Here’s Our Take: ACLU.” American Civil Liberties Union , 24 Feb. 2023, www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/civil- liberties-and-vaccine-mandates-heres-our-take. Donovan, Doug. “Vaccine Opponents Unite around a ‘civil Liberties’ Argument on Social Media, Study Finds.” The Hub , 2 Oct. 2020, hub.jhu.edu/2020/10/02/anti-vaccine-movement- unites-around-civil-liberties-argument/. Giubilini, Alberto, et al. “Vaccine Mandates for Healthcare Workers beyond Covid-19.” Journal of Medical Ethics , Institute of Medical Ethics, 1 Mar. 2023, jme.bmj.com/content/49/3/211. Maneze, Della, et al. “Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccination for Healthcare Workers: A Discussion Paper.” International Journal of Nursing Studies , U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9709452/.

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Jake 7 Pollard, Casey A, et al. “The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global Health Crisis.” Physiological Genomics , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Nov. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7686876/. Wilkenfeld, Daniel A, and Christa M Johnson. “In Defense of Vaccine Mandates: An Argument from Consent Rights.” Public Health Ethics , U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Apr. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9383732/.

Jake Final Draft

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