Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Arguing for vax passports and mandates on the basis some schools require polio jabs for kids is infantilizing and dishonest

Arguing for vax passports and mandates on the basis some schools require polio jabs for kids is infantilizing and dishonest

Once a “conspiracy theory” denigrated by the mainstream media, vaccine passports are becoming increasingly common in so-called liberal democracies.

Canada, France, New York and San Francisco now require proof of vaccination for entry into restaurants, gyms and other public venues. Similarly, the Biden administration has made increasing vaccination rates a priority, and wants to mandate that all employers operating in the country with more than 100 employees require vaccination as a condition of employment, though no specific executive order has yet followed.

To mandate, or not to mandate?


Predictably, these measures have been met with protests by critics who say the mandates and passport programs constitute tyrannical overreach. In response, defenders of the policies have been quick to point to laws such as stop signs, red lights and speed limits as restrictions on liberty that are widely accepted. If you accept traffic laws, the argument goes, why not accept vaccine mandates?

However, can the possibility of hitting someone with a car at 80 mph honestly be compared to the possibility of spreading Covid-19? Not according to the fatality rates of the respective tragedies, never mind the fact that this reasoning essentially rests on the faulty premise that if one law implemented for people’s safety is all right, then all other laws that allegedly keep us safe must be acceptable too, regardless of how different the laws or their consequences may be.

And so, in an admittedly more analogous comparison, mandate proponents have begun to use the existence of vaccine requirements for school enrollment as precedent for the deluge of mandates facing adults in Canada, Australia and the US. You already have a vaccine passport, it’s claimed, so surely the Covid-19 vaccine passport is no different.

Does this reasoning hold water? Are those against vaccine passports and mandates really decrying the loss of liberties that were already surrendered? Or is the situation more complicated than that?

Are we children?


To answer these questions, it’s important to note that for some parents, the existence of vaccine mandates for schools is still a point of contention, and far from the forgone conclusion that hobbyist pundits make them out to be. Furthermore, vaccine requirements for children often provide exemptions on the grounds of medical conditions or religious/philosophical objections, exceptions which, hitherto, by and large, have not been given to adults regarding the coronavirus vaccine.

Still though, if we’re to operate under the assumption that mandating vaccines for children is good practice, there remains a difference between mandating medical treatments for children and doing the same for adults.

Legally (and morally), we accept that children cannot consent to make informed decisions about their personal health. This is exactly why, despite keen attempts from LGBT activists, “trans” children taking puberty blockers has proven to be so controversial, and why such children are barred from surgery until they are adults. Moreover, there is also precedent to say that parents, ultimately, do not have the right to put their children’s lives at risk or in danger. Parents can be fined for failing to provide their children with car seats, and can be charged with abuse or neglect if their children are found to be malnourished or otherwise uncared for.

Considering the established dangers of diseases like polio and measles (and the established safety and efficacy of the vaccines that prevent them) the precedent set by school vaccine requirements establishes that the state is able to intervene to protect children from health risks that they are not able to weigh themselves.

Trying to apply this same logic to adults, however, is both nonsensical and dangerous. After all, if adults, like children, can't decide on which vaccinations to take, or what health risks are acceptable, what decision-making will be taken from us next?

Which diseases?


Additionally, it is worthwhile examining which diseases have mandated vaccinations for school enrollment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30% of measles cases carry complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis or death. When it comes to polio, which children are at the highest risk of contracting, around 1% of cases lead to paralysis. For illnesses like this, it can be said that the reward clearly outweighs the risk, but does the same hold true for Covid-19?

Thankfully, the recovery rate for Covid-19 is estimated to be up to 99.75% in the general population, with outcomes even more optimistic for children. And in terms of transmission, the upper estimate of Covid-19's R0 (the number of people that a sick person will infect) is 2.5, well below those of measles (12 to 18), polio (5 to 7), or even chickenpox (10). Although the R0 of the Delta variant has yet to be firmly established; it is thought to be higher, at between 6 to 8, it has not been shown to be any more severe in children who do contract it.

Is this to say that Covid-19 isn’t real, or a tangible threat to specific age groups and those with underlying conditions? Of course not. But to say that more severe (or even as severe) measures need to be taken to combat it than the demonstrably more dangerous measles is simply not in line with what science tells us about the respective risks of these diseases.

Which vaccines?


The comparisons between mandated vaccines for school and Covid-19 vaccine passports also raise comparisons between the vaccines themselves. To be clear, the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have maintained the safety of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. But considering that five Scandinavian countries are now barring the use of the Moderna vaccine in people under 30 or 18, or halting its use entirely, citing concerns over heart inflammation (particularly in men), and that studies specifically examining the vaccine’s effects on pregnancy and women’s menstrual cycles have yet to be completed, it seems at the very least premature to compare these relatively new vaccines to ones that have been used for generations.

If it’s true that all vaccines (like any medical treatment) carry some chance of adverse side effects, and the side effects of the Covid-19 vaccines, as rare as they may be, are yet to be fully documented, should the choice of whether or not to vaccinate really be taken away?

There is also a difference in the function of the Covid-19 vaccine when compared to vaccines for illnesses like polio and measles. Traditionally, vaccines provide immunity and therefore halt the spread of contagions entirely with respect to the vaccinated individual. As has been confirmed after numerous studies, however, this is not how the Covid-19 vaccines perform; vaccinated people can still become infected with and spread the virus.

Therefore, if eradicating Covid-19 was the goal of vaccine mandates and passports, arguments for civil liberties aside, such policies would be less effective than testing requirements or even temperature checks, now that we know how rare asymptomatic spread is.

“Papers, please” for restaurants?


A final issue of consideration for those hoping to excuse Covid-19 vaccine passports on the basis of vaccination requirements for schools is the scope of the laws in question. Schools traditionally and understandably are able to collect all manner of information on their students, including grades, behavioral problems and home life situations (for example, is the student currently in foster care?). And considering that medical histories (such as disabilities and allergies) are also relevant to primary and secondary schools, it’s not unthinkable that vaccination history would also fall under the purview of school administrators.

However, can the same be said about any of the places that are now being included in vaccine passport programs? Has it ever been acceptable, outside of the past several months, for people to need to provide such intimate details to other establishments, such as stores, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms or even airlines?

The answer, obviously, is no.

The supporters of vaccine passports and mandates may try to act as if these new policies are not previously unheard of restrictions on our daily lives, however, that is simply not the case. Argue for their necessity if you must (though I will still disagree), but at the very least, please be honest in your desire to completely upend society and the concept of state control as we know it.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×