Ethics paper on the goverment mandated vaccinations

Mandatory vaccination of employees The dangerous tendency in the United s and the wholeworld can’t be left unnoticed: the government applies mandatory vaccination. For example, in the state of Mississippi there is a law, according to which only the doctor can release the child from vaccination. Moreover, the officials may not accept such refusal even if it is signed by several doctors and states serious reasons. Another serious problem is vaccination at work. Employees are forced to get vaccinated by employers who threaten to fire them if they refuse.
In such states as Massachusetts, New-Jersey and Maryland the vaccination are imposed by the court’s resolution or by the law in force and in some states such laws are being considered. “ During the last flu season, a hospital in northern Indiana fired eight workers who refused to get vaccines against the seasonal disease. According to several media reports, IU Health Goshen Hospital had instituted a policy requiring employees to get flu shots. Several employees balked at getting the shots and tried to seek exemptions. The hospital decided not to grant exemptions and terminated the workers when they refused to change their minds” (Alaniz, 2013). Such politics is very similar to the one in national socialist empires, Stalin’s regimes and communist China. When the officials are asked to lawful substantiation of such measures as forced vaccination of people even if they consider them to be a real treat for them and their relatives, they refer to the necessity of society protection (Poland et al, 2005). But if the vaccination is not so effective as it is stated by the officials why should we be afraid of unvaccinated people as vaccinated individuals were 100% protected? This question puts officials in difficult situation. The usual answer is: the small percent of vaccinated will not be protected enough and may be subject to risk (Hayward, 2006). Then it is necessary to recognize that the possibility of vaccination failure is higher than 5% and this leads to the following question: why should we be vaccinated if the protection is doubtful? Collective immunity is a myth as its conception is related to the natural immunity, which if formed in response (Carman et al, 2000). Many experts state that the best way to stop spread of flu is to stay home when we are sick and wear masks (Conley, 2013).
Another question is that forced vaccination is the violation of human rights. Every person should feel free to make his/her own decision on the issue (Shugarman, 2006). Only parents can decide if to vaccinate their child and employees should not be forced to get vaccinated (Thomas et al, 2006). The rights of people should not be violated this way, moreover, there is a risk of unsuccessful vaccination, which can lead even to death. Moreover, if employers want to apply mandatory vaccination, they should refer to certain policies: “ Many employers only require employees who have regular access to patients or individuals with compromised immune systems to receive a flu shot. If a policy is challenged, an employer must be prepared to present its reasonable business interest. Careful consideration of the scope of a mandatory policy prior to implementation can avoid legal issues down the road” (Conley).
The effectiveness of vaccines is not proved, moreover, mandatory vaccination violates human rights, thus, it should not be applied in democratic countries.
References
Carman W F, Elder AG, Wallace LA, et al. (2000). Effects of influenza vaccination of health-care workers on mortality of elderly people in long-term care: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet; 355: 93-7.
Poland GA, Tosh P, Jacobson RM. (2005). Requiring influenza vaccination for health care workers: seven truths we must accept. Vaccine. 23: 2251–5.
Hayward AC, Harling R, Wetten S, et al. (2006). Effectiveness of an influenza vaccine programme for home staff to prevent death, morbidity, and health service use among residents: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. ; 333: 1241.
Shugarman LR, Hales C, Setodji CM, et al. (2006). The influence of staff and resident immunization rates on influenza-like illness outbreaks in nursing homes. J Am Med Dir Assoc; 7(9): 562-7.
Thomas RE, Jefferson TO, Demicheli V, Rivetti D. (2006). Influenza vaccination for health-care workers who work with elderly people in institutions: a systematic review. Lancet ID; 6(5): 273-
Alaniz, Richard D. (2013). Mandating Flu Vaccines: What Employers Should Know. Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www. accountingweb. com/article/mandating-flu-vaccines-what-employers-should-know/222512
Conley, Jeanine S. (2013). Mandatory flu vaccination policies: tips for the upcoming flu season. Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www. lexology. com/library/detail. aspx? g= 15ce3866-a68a-4d73-b7c4-6726793361b8
Yasmin, Seema. (2013). Mandatory Shots: Should Hospitals Force Health Care Workers to Get the Flu Vaccine? Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://blogs. scientificamerican. com/guest-blog/2013/12/23/mandatory-shots-should-hospitals-force-health-care-workers-to-get-the-flu-vaccine/