Vaccination is proactive protection of communities from diseases they could otherwise spread among themselves. However, there will always be break-through infections. It follows this form of community medication could only work properly if everybody complies. Mandatory vaccination has a long history, because it makes such abundant sense.
Mandatory Vaccination is Not Something We Dreamed Up
The Chinese invented smallpox vaccination when they found cowpox antibodies provided immunity against the more deadly disease. George Washington clearly believed in vaccination. He instructed all his soldiers to have smallpox shots. We are in a different kind of war with COVID-19, although the same logic still applies.
Moreover, the United States has had a variety of vaccine mandates in place since the late 1970’s. Pediatrician Lee Hampton told BBC November 1, 2021 these include hepatitis B, diphtheria, and pertussis whooping cough. But the U.S. list also includes poliovirus, tetanus, influenza type b, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella chickenpox.
Those vaccines, which have wide acceptance saved millions of lives, and kept hospitals open for emergency admissions of accident victims. If we can’t agree with a COVID-19 mandate, does this mean we should cancel all those other mandates? We do not ask this lightly, because if we agreed it could snuff out many young lives.
Mandatory Vaccination Has a Long History of Resistance
Early vaccination shots involved tiny quantities of animal tissue. This caused concern among vegetarians, animal rights groups, and some religious bodies. However, COVID mRNA vaccines including Moderna and Pfizer do not contain animal products. They use deactivated DNA from the virus chemistry to stimulate immunity.
Even so, pediatrician Lee Hampton believes we should use vaccination mandates sparingly. That’s because mandatory vaccination has a long history of increasing resistance. None the less he adds ‘ the vaccines that we have for Covid-19 are on balance really, really safe’. But will this be enough to convince the skeptics?
Breaking News
Brain Fog Is a Mental and a Biological Event
Do Vaccines Compromise or Protect Liberty?
Preview Image: Vaccinating Children in 1883
