If there was one thing that reached across the aisle over the politically fraught past year, it was our support of nurses and other “essential workers” who took care of those affected by Covid-19 over the past year.
We’ve all heard of the horror stories. When some folks were not allowed visitors on their deathbeds, the nurses were sometimes the only ones by their side. It wasn’t a surprise, then, when some people questioned Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s regard for New York’s nurses when their largest healthcare provider fired 1,400 employees who decided not to get vaccinated. President Joe Biden has also mandated vaccinations to all government employees and businesses that employ over 100 people.
Many citizens are being threatened to take the vaccine––a vaccine that has gone through rigorous testing but is a new technology, unlike any vaccine that’s come before it––or to relinquish their jobs and livelihoods.
The mandates aren’t solely relegated to a condition necessary for employment, but many schools have adopted the mandate policy too. Not only can you be fired from your job based on a personal medical decision, but many schools are barring the unvaccinated from receiving an education.
It’s understandable that many people decide to receive the vaccine, and many people will continue to. Some people are particularly susceptible to the virus and are at serious risk of death or long-term effects. Either way, someone should always weigh all the factors and get multiple opinions before taking any big medical step. At least to me, a big step medical step includes taking a dose of what 2 years ago would be determined an experimental biologic instead of a vaccine. Though it has been thoroughly tested and continues to be a good decision for many, it is always a good idea to do one’s research before participating.
What would be a better approach to getting people to take their medicine, considering our culture, laws, and legacy that uphold personal rights and freedoms? A better approach, I would suggest, is to leave it up to the people.
What would John Brown University do if tomorrow the government-mandated a vaccine for schools under threat of expulsion? Steve Beers, vice president of student development, is also head of the Covid care team on campus, and his job, along with others, is to find out how to implement policy handed down to them from the university president and board of directors.
When asked about the nature of his job, he explained part of it was to, “wrestle through a myriad of questions to assess the specific student’s needs, the specific student’s community’s needs, and their ongoing support.” Beers remained unclear about his specific stance on if he would advise for or against a university vaccine mandate, but he believed “it will be a difficult road…to force vaccination,” While he believes in the vaccination and its efficacy he hinted that, “We live in America and Americans love their independence. I’m an American who loves his independence.”
It’s likely that the people of America are intelligent enough to make the correct decision on their own when given the correct information. Our history doesn’t show that we’re averse to getting vaccinations. For example, from the last statistics reported in 2015, 90.8% of people are vaccinated against measles. It shows that the debate over mandates isn’t about safety, health, or science. This debate is whether or not we should let our government into the last barrier of protection we have––our skin.
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash