Introduction
Coronavirus affected many people globally, leading to the loss of many people’s lives. Governments worldwide had to develop interventions that aimed to curb the spreading of the infection. People’s movement restrictions, curfews, closing schools, and individuals wearing masks were among the initiatives advocated to stop the progress of the disease. There was a rapid development of vaccines by several companies to help protect the public against the virus. In the USA, COVID-19 killed many people, and thus the government started directing citizens to get vaccinated. Mandatory coronavirus vaccination evoked debates among leaders in the USA. The supporters of compulsory vaccination think it helps save lives, while the opposers view it as an infringement of human rights and privacy.
Compulsory Vaccination in the USA
Many political leaders in the USA were urging the citizens to get vaccinated. President Biden sent a message with a harsher tone to the unvaccinated individuals in the country (Dyer). He informed the people that the vaccines were convenient, free, and safe; he added that the state had been patient enough, so individuals were to undertake the right action. Biden’s order also mandated that all healthcare workers must get vaccinated. In Virginia, a bill was introduced on 10th September in Congress that required COVID-19 negative test or vaccination proof for all the local travelers in the USA airports (Dyer). The government was also to strengthen the vaccination command on its employees, and the transportation security agencies were to increase fines for those found not wearing masks.
Governors and some Republican leaders stressed they would fight Biden’s orders in the court. Biden stated the Governors were causing the pandemic politics as people were dying, and he would use his power as the president to get such leaders out (Dyer). Several large companies, such as Tyson Foods, McDonald’s, and Delta Airlines, mandated their workers to get vaccinated. In the polls, the views of the Republicans on the vaccination directive were heavily opposed, while those of the Democrats were favored. Other workers suggested they would rather resign than get the compulsory vaccination. Vaccination mandates in the USA can limit access to public services, schools, and even employment (Shachar and Reiss 37). Exemptions may be permitted, for example, for individuals who have health conditions that may be exaggerated by vaccine administration.
As the coronavirus infections were on the rampant rise in the USA, Biden used his powers to direct the nation. He ordered that most federal government employees mandatory vaccination and companies ensure that their workforce was fully jabbed or allow the workers to have regular testing (Rasheed). These measures sparkled court challenges and protest, and even the local politician opted to counter these directions. Protestors in many cities, such as New York, went to the streets to campaign against the compulsory jabbing. In the demonstration, a poster that read “We are not lab rats” and “No to Dictatorship” was used (Rasheed). Others argued it was against their human rights and privacy to be forced to undertake the forced vaccination. Further, individuals claimed they protected their bodies and were entitled to decision-making. Experts said that even if the vaccination is justified, authorities should not use physical force to get citizens vaccinated.
A hesitancy between the employers and employees rose on whether COVID-19 vaccination was supposed to be mandatory for the workers in the USA. People argued that the vaccination command was the state’s responsibility, not private employers. When an organization demands that its workers get vaccinated, it shows the personal power of capital on individuals in ways that can easily make the employees reluctant (o-Lindell). People argued that the healthcare workers were supposed to be the first to be mandated to receive the vaccines and not every person. In a survey conducted, it was shown that 18% of the healthcare workers were not planning to be vaccinated against coronavirus (Bokat-Lindell). Some nurses argued they disliked being told what to do, while others agreed to take the vaccine, understanding that hesitancy had consequences.
The public reacted differently to the coronavirus vaccination command by the government. People argued it was different when the state mandates individuals to be vaccinated compared to private mandating people to be vaccinated (Bokat-Lindell). Other Individuals supported the state to give the direction because of its power to introduce the directives, remove them or alter them through the democratically elected leaders (Bokat-Lindell). Other people argued some vaccines had not received the full approval of the FDA and therefore imposing them on the public would raise stern ethical concerns. Individuals also believed that FDA approved some vaccines under the emergency process and did not carefully understand their efficacy against the asymptomatic coronavirus infection. Mandating the public’s COVID-19 vaccination can reduce their support for the program, causing citizens to decrease uptake. Most legislators, mainly the Republicans in over 23 states, had proposed policies that would prevent employers from requiring their employees to get vaccinated (Bokat-Lindell). In New Jersey, a law was also presented by the Republicans to enable Rutgers University to withdraw the vaccine mandate for the students. The issue brought an intense debate among the leaders in the USA.
The authors aimed to understand the people’s position regarding the mandate of coronavirus vaccination. In the news and journal articles of Shachar and Reiss, Rasheed, and Dyer, they showed that the vaccination mandate from the government and private employers sparkled intense debates. There was a massive debate between the Democrats and the Republicans regarding the order of vaccination (Dyer). Some Republicans had vowed to try the Biden’s coronavirus obligatory vaccination in court as they felt it was against human rights. These articles were unbiased as they explained both sides of the issue; the people advocating for the vaccination and those against it.
These news articles have impacted me regarding the perception of the American political process. I acknowledged that leaders have a significant role in shaping the nation regarding health, employment, and education. Their decisions hugely impact many people in society, and their verdicts may lead to intense debate within the community. Leaders who advise the public not to get vaccinated may create a massive problem in society that leads to many individuals dying because of coronavirus. Conversely, leaders who mandate vaccination to their individuals may invoke people to feel that it is against their rights. The authors do not change my political views as I am concerned only about a decision that will positively impact the enormous population.
Conclusion
In conclusion, public participation should be encouraged when the state tackles some controversial topics. Biden saw that mandatory vaccination could help reduce the death cases from COVID-19 in the USA. In contrast, most Republicans saw it violated human rights, and they were ready to challenge the directive in court. Other individuals felt that the private companies had no right to direct people to be vaccinated.
Works Cited
Bokat-Lindell, Spencer. ” Should Covid Vaccines Be Mandatory?” The New York Times, Web.
Dyer, Owen. “Covid-19: US Imposes Mandatory Vaccination on Two-Thirds of Workforce.” BMJ, no. 374, p.2238, 2021, Web.
Rasheed, Zaheena. “Should COVID-19 Vaccines Be Mandatory?” Aljazeera News, Web.
Shachar, Carmel, and Dorit Rubinstein Reiss. “When Are Vaccine Mandates Appropriate?” AMA Journal of Ethics, vol. 22, no. 1, 2020, pp. 36–42, Web.