Mainstream bioethics thinking is growing increasingly authoritarian. Princeton’s notorious utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer now joins Ezekiel “Mandate” Emanuel in an internationally syndicated column urging that everyone be legally required to take the COVID jab.
Singer justifies this imposition by comparing the proposal to laws that require people to wear seat belts in cars. From, “Why Vaccination Should be Compulsory:”
We are now hearing demands for the freedom to be unvaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19. Brady Ellison, a member of the United States Olympic archery team, says his decision not to get vaccinated was “one hundred percent a personal choice,” insisting that “anyone that says otherwise is taking away people’s freedoms.”
The oddity, here, is that laws requiring us to wear seat belts really are quite straightforwardly infringing on freedom, whereas laws requiring people to be vaccinated if they are going to be in places where they could infect other people are restricting one kind of freedom in order to protect the freedom of others to go about their business safely.
Good grief. There is a huge difference between a law that requires wrapping a cloth belt around one’s body while in a moving car and injecting chemicals into one’s system. Yes, both acts involve attempts to promote public safety. But the former’s interference with liberty is de minimus, while the latter is one of the most potentially portentous that can be asked of people.
In free societies, legal mandates must be reasonable. A national vaccination mandate — which would be unprecedented — fails that test.
Why aren’t near-universal mandates “reasonable?” Well, young people almost never become seriously ill from COVID — although a very few certainly do. But there is also some evidence of a very slight — but potentially serious — risk from the vaccines for the young. If we care about freedom, surely, for the young, vaccination may be the preferred — but should not be the mandatory — course.
There is also significant evidence that people who recovered from COVID already have significant natural resistance to the disease. That being so, is it reasonable to force people with antibodies to involuntarily inject substances into their bodies, particularly since there is a very slight potential for serious bodily injury or death from the vaccine? No.
Finally, the people most at risk of serious disease are the unvaccinated. People who choose to go unprotected are risking mostly themselves. Allowing them to face that risk is more reasonable than violating their personal autonomy.
Singer enjoys playing hypothetical mind games and making comparisons, as the one involving seat belts. All right. Let’s play.
What do you think Singer would say about a legal mandate requiring men to wear condoms every time they had sex (except for purposes of procreation)? After all, think of the HIV and other VDs that would be prevented — serious illnesses and deaths avoided — if all men did that. Think of the fewer unwanted pregnancies and subsequent abortions. And, more like seat belts than vaccination, the action required would be wholly external with zero risk of side effects.
I can guarantee you Singer would resist such a law — as would I — because it would interfere with the most intimate of human activities without a sufficiently compelling cause to justify such a dramatic infringement of personal liberty. In other words, it would not be a reasonable assertion of government authority.
We never went that far at the height of the AIDS epidemic, before the treatments came online, when it was almost 100 percent fatal. Nor do we now require people who have risky sex to take the HIV prophylactic drugs that prevent infection. Similarly, it would be unreasonable to force everyone to accept the jab.
Yes, I know about the potential for variants. But authoritarianism can spread, too. In free societies, significant interferences with personal liberty can be justified only by urgent need — and then should be done in the least intrusive way practicable. Especially with testing readily available, a vaccine mandate simply does not pass that test.
I’m a 70 year old retired USN Chief and retired cop. If you ask me to do something, I might.If tell me and threaten me then I won’t and Eff you!
Revelation 13:18
Hey “Philosopher” Petey, what ever happened to “My body, My choice”? Isn’t that the LEFT’s mantra when it comes to abortions, where a LIFE is 100% EXTINGUISHED?
Why would anyone listen to an “educated” CLOWN that believes a woman has the right to “abort” a child, EVEN AFTER BIRTH AND UP TO 2 YEARS LATER?
Insurance companies should escalate the rates of those who are unvaccinated since they are a risk to us all by causing many medical bills and incurred costs when they need to be hospitalized. I noticed the writer conveniently left out the fact that you are required to have certain vaccines to go to public school and not many people seem to mind that! Also left out is the fact that most people make sure they update their vaccines before they travel to foreign countries. Also left out is the fact that when enlisting in the service you get vaccine updates in boot camp. The seat belt law is to save lives and save people from their own stupid choice to not wear them. Same with Covid vaccines. It is stupid not to get one. And I am not a liberal !!!
Brilliant comment tlc. Excellent analogy
Flu vaccine is not required for school, so not all vaccines are required. Those that are have proven effect against viruses with high rates of morbidity and mortality in the young (Polio, MMR, Tdap). This vaccine is not approved except by emergency. Regarding insurance, feel free to start your own insurance company and make that your policy.
The issue is invasion of the body and the individual’s freedom to make that choice–not the psychotic Dictation, Propaganda of the Left. why don’t they find the cure for cancer which kills more people everyday than this manipulated virus.
the seat belt law cant change your cell structure. the vaccines that you refer too for traveling overseas and when enlisting in the military are actual vaccines that fall under the definition of a vaccine. this messenger rna sequencer does NOT under any way except in the govts bs and a dumbasses mind even begin to be under the definition of a vaccine. so you can take your shot all yhou like, i dont care, its apparent that you want to be herded to be experimented on by big pharma and thats your chioce, bahhhh bahhh. but you and everyone one else can kiss my ass over that shot. i wont give up my freedoms that easy.
Absolutely 💯 correct. I did take the vaccine due to a major health problem advised by my Dr. Didn’t want it and will not take a booster I know the Big Pharma is pushing. My mistake. People have choices and Constitutional Rights. This isn’t China or N Korea Yet!
I expect the government to protect me and my family from being murdered on the fly. Your attitude shows a complete lack of concern for anyone else. And where do you come up with that idiocy of denying this dangerous business. This has been tested correctly except for the length of the test. Are you afraid of becoming a thalidomide baby. Now we’re at that point where we can gues the manner of our death when we see some snot-dragger coming down the street toward us and the question in the mind is am I going to get some deadly disease passed to me silently or is he going to shoot me?
Its stupid to get one. There are plenty of things far more dangerous, small pox, etc. You only need a vaccine if you’re going to school. Also, there are exemptiojs, medical, religious, etc. Not a communist threat against freedom. Plus it doesnt help. You can have mine. And charge more, yea right. Do smokers pay more because of cancer. Dumb. Thanks for the laughs!
You may not be a liberal, but you do sound stupid
The deadly shot was designed to kill people since the nazis think there are too many so they decided they have a right to kill us all off. Now they want to vax our pets bc when everyone is dead who will take care of our animals. So they might as well kill them too
What is stupid is a potentially life altering decision you can’t undo. Once the toxic spike proteins clog your blood, and impair your natural immunity to an unknown degree, for an unknown duration there is no cure never mind the totally unknown long term side effects of mRNA changing your very DNA and you need to Never mind the life changing or life ending vax reactions experienced by too many people to be calling the vax “safe” It isn’t safe if measured by any reasonable metric in any reasonable universe except the one the previous commenter lives in perhaps
I will get the vax as soon as the FDA approves it through their normal testing routine.
I will get the vax as soon as the FDA approves it through their normal testing routine.
A normal one would be years. But I would not be surprised if they push it through before their current end date of 2023. We’re living the Utopia series, by what it appears.
It wont be due to testing
It will be because the government tells them to alprove it so they can mandate it. Good luck
The seat belt mandate IS unconstitutional, but I am unaware if anyone fought it to the Supreme Court. Witness the rise of Communism in America and the downfall. The demon possessed government is trying to force the mark of the beast upon us…pray for God’s kingdom to come quickly.
Has any of you fools ever had whooping cough, not to mention measles? If you did, do you remember how you felt? I did. No, I didn’t die, I’m still here to tell you about it. It took me six months to recover from WC. WC affects the luns too. To this day, 80 years later, I still can’t breathe when hit by a strong wind or gust of air in my face. Do I want another illness with similar after affects?
Now we have the “Delta Variant”? Prove it. Where did it come from, and how is it transmitted. How would you know if someone has it, as there are no tests for it? The Q-Tips they shoved up noses were thrown out as unreliable? I call bull sh*t, it’s another Democratic hoax!
I totally agree, Linda. This (once) great country better WAKE up and acknowledge the insanity of the Socialist Left and the Press and other media who need to drink their own Kool Aid
This current issue is all tied directly to a multiple decades long liberal elitist agenda of “mass inoculation” with traditionally created vaccines. We are now in a totally direct ball game. The “shot” is NOT such a substance. It is a “gene therapy” which does directly affect the human immune system in disastrous ways that are proving themselves every day. Totally vaccinated people are still getting infected and dying. Proving that the “shot” was never intended to provide immunity. It is a way of fulfilling the decades old elitist agenda of government authoritarian control of the populous using fear and intimidation but none he less killing off humans.