Opinion: Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines

Governments across the world have begun to implement vaccine mandates. As the delta and omicron variants have surged through the globe at a rapid pace, vaccines have proven that they are a safe and effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, as human rights law professor Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou states, “It is 100 percent a human rights issue related to the right to privacy and the right to bodily integrity”.

Entering the new year, vaccinations have reached a record high. Opposition to the vaccine mandates have also been growing among conservatives, but both sides of the political spectrum have clashing views among the vaccines. The Biden administration has focused on getting as many Americans as possible to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The call for mandates have gone under state power, which is protected by the tenth amendment.

The City of Boston, starting on January 30th, calls for individuals to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces. The mandate is said to increase vaccination numbers. Mayor Michelle Wu stated, “Vaccines are the most powerful tool in fighting this pandemic, once again, and they’re the most powerful tool to allow us to recover as a city and truly be together.”

Though many statistics have proven the safe and effectiveness of the vaccines, many people still fear and don’t trust in our scientists. It has become a fight over protecting individual freedoms or protecting each other. People have the right to be protected from harm, and since COVID-19 places public health at a major risk, I believe that in order to protect each other vaccines should be mandatory.

And, no, vaccine mandates do not violate your constitutional rights. The Supreme Court recognized the authority of government officials to address and act on public health emergencies in the cases of Gibbons v. Ogden and Jacobson v. Massachusetts. The court described these powers as “security of social order, the life and health of the citizen” and addressed how the freedom of the individual at times must be infringed upon to be subordinate to the common welfare and is subject to the police power of the state.

Vaccinations are one of the most effective public health interventions mankind has seen. An effective vaccine mandate can put the end to this ongoing pandemic. It’s time to put the biases aside, conspiracy theories of getting microchipped by the government, and do what is best for the individuals in our country; protect each other because that’s what it means to be a true patriot.