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Alexandra McFall

English Comp. 1101

Prof. Cyphers

4 December 2020

Should vaccines be mandatory?

Whether or not vaccines should be mandatory or not is something that has been debated

over for many years, and recently the debate has fired up again. Vaccines are created to combat

a specific disease by placing a weakened strand of it inside the bloodstream. There are a few

vaccines that are required for children to attend a school like, Tdap and MMR. But when it

comes to things like the flu shot, it is entirely the person’s choice, as it should be. Although most

of the time vaccines are successful, there is always a possibility of error and outcome depending

on the person. With the potential risk at hand everyone should be able to make their own choice

regarding their health, which would be demolished if vaccinations were mandatory.

A few days ago, a vaccine for COVID-19 was announced and said to be 90% successful.

The worldwide disease has reportedly killed 1.38 million people in the last year. Rumors of

vaccination have brought hope to people. Experts are reporting a 90% success rate, thus

bringing a positive outlook for the future to many people who have been drastically affected by

this pandemic. Mentions of the vaccine have also rekindled the debate of whether or not it

should be mandatory, but when it comes to making this decision a lot of things must be

considered.

A common misconception when arguing for mandated vaccines is that it ensures

everyone safety. This claim can easily be debunked when looking at the effects it has on

different groups of people. The Elderly are a prime example of this. A study led by an
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epidemiologist at The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda,

Maryland, shows correlation of age and success in past diseases. The study focused particularly

on the U.S influenza mortality cases relating to age. The 65 an older age group had a rise in

mortality rates despite the increase of vaccinations. Statistics show a “15% to 20% in 1980 to

65% in 2001” (Cohen, par. 2). Simonsen says that this is a huge find. Vaccines have actually

been proven to do more bad than good when it comes to reducing fatality rates for the elderlies.

Another group at risk is children. The article “7 Reasons Schools Should Not Mandate

Vaccines”, written by Neil Z. Miller goes into depth on certain effects vaccines cna have. An

example he uses is the MMR vaccinations, this injection is mandatory for children in order to go

to school. It can impose diabetes, arthritis, encephalitis, death, and other life threatening

conditions. Harmful conditions are also common amongst other vaccines, which is why it’s

important each person decides whether or not they should take it. Miller says, “Americans would

be shocked to learn that the U.S. has the greatest number of mandatory vaccines yet the 42nd

worst infant mortality rate in the world” (Miller, par. 17). This horrific fact is proof that vaccines

don’t technically have a positive correlation with the health rate.

Mandatory vaccines do not only affect the person's health, but can violate a person. The

First amendment in the United States Constitution protects speech, religion, press, assembly, and

petition. These freedoms give people the right to whether or not they get the vaccine and making

it mandatory would violate their basic rights as a citizen. Jeffery A. Singer wrote, "Vaccination

and Free Will" to focus on the fact that people have the right to not be vaccinated. Singer states

that no person should initiate force against another, except in cases of retaliation or self-defense.

Forcibly injecting substances—attenuated microbes or otherwise—into someone else's body

cannot be justified as an act of self-defense, because there is no way to determine with certainty
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that the person will ever be responsible for disease transmission (Singer, par. 6). Forcing a

vaccine takes a person’s free will and privacy. This factor of “free choice” is important in this

debate because they feel as if it’s their right to have a choice, as it is. Singer goes on to talk

about what a mass mandating of vaccines would do to people. "Any mass immunization program

that uses compulsion rather than persuasion will, on balance, do more harm to the well-being of a

free people than any good it was intended to convey" (Singer, par. 18). As the quote says, it will

do more harm than good to the well being of the people, showing the real problem a vaccine

mandate could do.

Although there are many dangerous effects vaccines can have, some still strongly believe

that they should be mandatory for everyone. Ronald Bailey, the author of an article titled,

“People Should Not Be Allowed to Refuse Vaccination”. In his writing he goes on to say,

"People who refuse vaccination for themselves and their children are free-riding off herd

immunity. Anti-vaccination folks are taking advantage of the fact that most people around them

have chosen the minimal risk of vaccination. But if enough refuse, the firewall comes down and

other people get hurt" (Bailey, par 13). The “herd immunity” concept is the idea that the

population can be protected from a virus if a certain amount of people get vaccinated. This idea

makes mandatory vaccines seem like it’s a simple solution but there’s more to it. In Jeffery A.

Singer’s article “Vaccination and Free Will”, he explains the issues with the “herd immunity”

ideology. "The phenomenon of herd immunity allows many unvaccinated people to avoid

disease because they free ride off the significant portion of the population that is

immunized...People free ride when they purchase a new, improved, and cheaper product that was

"pre-tested" on more affluent people who wanted to be the first to own it." (Singer par. 9). This
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goes to show that even if the majority of people get the vaccine, people will use that as an excuse

to not get the vaccines for themselve.

Despite the vaccine’s purpose to provide people with protection from disease,

occasionally the opposite occurs. Many cases revolving around vaccinations include negative

side effects like diabetes, arthritis, and in the worst cases death. Keeping these possibilities in

mind, every person must do their research regarding vaccines before they take them. In order for

people to ensure their health, their choice regarding such vaccines must remain.
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Biblography

Bailey, Ronald. "People Should Not Be Allowed to Refuse Vaccination." Vaccines,

edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010938211/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=d21550de. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020. Originally published as

"Refusing Vaccination Puts Others at Risk: A Pragmatic Argument for Coercive Vaccination,"

Reason.com

Cohen, Jon. "Study questions the benefits of vaccinating the elderly." Science, vol. 307,

no. 5712, 2005, p. 1026. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A129807743/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=92c7e03a.

Miller, Neil Z. "Given the Risks, Vaccinations Should Not Be Mandated." Should

Vaccinations be Mandatory?, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale In

Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010616204/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=40fd6c41. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020. Originally published as "7

Reasons Schools Should NOT Mandate Vaccines," Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute, 2008.

Singer, Jeffrey A. "Anti-Vaxxers Should Have the Right to Choose Not to Vaccinate."

Deadly Viruses, edited by Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Current Controversies. Gale

In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010973218/OVIC?

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u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=840b7fd7. Originally published as "Vaccination and Free Will,"

Reason, Apr. 2014.