Introduction
Vaccines against COVID-19 have been approved by the FDA and are currently recommended by the CDC for all people six months and older, with further vaccinations recommended for those five years and older. For caregivers who are worried about the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines, there are several crucial questions to ask. Most parents feel that the vaccines have been associated with uncommon side effects, which supports the idea that they were rushed for approval and authorization (Troiano & Nardi, 2021). In contrast, experts note that immunizing children under 12 years old decreases acute sickness protects them against long-term COVID-19 effects, and increases population-level benefits such as herd immunity (Zimmermann et al., 2022). While vaccination is a straightforward, secure, and efficient means to protect individuals against dangerous illnesses before they are infected, a vaccine for children should not be mandatory until their safety is backed by robust scientific evidence. This crucial factor has been disregarded concerning the recent COVID-19 vaccines, which have proven to be catastrophic for some patients, seemingly rushed, and do not value the right of conscience.
Discussion
In recent years, pericarditis and myocarditis after mRNA vaccinations have been a cause for concern, especially among male teenagers. Males between the ages of 16 and 29 were found to have a higher-than-average rate of this condition (10.7 instances per 100 000), with some needing to be readmitted to the hospital and one dying (Witberg et al., 2021). New evidence suggests an increased risk of myocarditis due to COVID-19 in this age group (Klein et al., 2021). There have not been any occurrences documented among children meaning the risk may be lower for this age group. Additional data from youngsters are required as it is hypothesized that the pathophysiology of thrombosis related to COVID-19 vaccinations is different from that of clots caused by other reasons, including stasis and the contraceptive pill (Witberg et al., 2021). Considering thrombotic incidents have either not been recorded or seem very uncommon in regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America, several governments are contemplating using these immunizations. Nonetheless, experts note that side effects are common with vaccinations and that in the case of COVID-19, the majority are moderate or mild and resolve on their own in a few days. Common adverse effects include fever, tiredness, headache, chills, muscular pain, and diarrhea (World Health Organization, 2021). Furthermore, all potential adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination are being thoroughly monitored by national governments and international organizations, including the World Health Organization.
Undoubtedly, all vaccines, including those for polio, measles and more, have side effects. Clinical trial findings and anecdotal encounters have made the public aware of the vaccinations’ short-term adverse effects, but concerns have been raised regarding the vaccines’ potential long-term consequences (Suran 2022; Helps et al., 2019). Several incidents of serious illnesses and even deaths have been reported following injections with COVID-19 vaccines. The most commonly cited adverse effects include anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, myocarditis and pericarditis, as discussed above, and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), which is a serious disorder that triggers blood clots (CDC, 2020). While the CDC denies that fatalities due to these issues can be linked directly to the vaccines, some countries have reported contrary evidence. In a study conducted in South Korea, researchers discovered that side effects ranging from moderate to severe, and sometimes death, were seen with all four main COVID-19 vaccines, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen, and Moderna (Lee et al., 2022). Although scientists are not supposed to rule out the possibility of any long-term consequences, the present information suggests that these vaccinations pose no such risk. Side effects after vaccination are unmistakable evidence that the vaccine is effective and that the immune system is reacting as expected. Perhaps, this is the only common ground where vaccine supporters and skeptics agree. However, the absence of tangible evidence to support the unlikelihood of future effects increases vaccine skepticism and its unsuitability for children.
Making a novel vaccine from scratch is a lengthy process. Much of this is contingent on understanding the nature of the illness, its mode of transmission, and many other factors. According to Belete (2021), the vaccine creation process is arduous and can take anywhere from 10 to 15 years, as it needs both governmental and commercial sector participation. Against this backdrop, the first COVID-19 vaccines were developed within a year of the virus being declared a public health concern. Indeed, this would be the basis of all doubts regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. According to a recent survey, almost 80% of Americans are vaccinated or intend to be, while some are concerned that scientists abandoned safety measures to produce a COVID-19 vaccine more quickly (Saad, 2021). These concerns have increased in the wake of evidence that there are more deadly variants of the virus. Many people have questioned the need to take several shots, which somehow become ineffective when new variants of COVID-19 emerge. While adolescents and adults have strong immune systems that can take booster shots, the same cannot be said about children. Thus, the development of new forms of the virus that are vaccine-resistant demands ongoing re-evaluation of the costs and advantages before governments enforce vaccination mandates for all.
In most cases, being vaccinated is a good idea. However, people should not be forced to make uncomfortable choices, even if doing so would benefit them or society as a whole. Conscience is a moral right because it is required for anybody to carry out their obligations. According to Kantian ethics, each person has an innate capacity for conscience or the ability to make morally sound decisions (Kahn, 2021). Undoubtedly, one should not be forced to undertake an action they are not comfortable with, even if it ends up being the best choice. The fact that they are being forced to behave irresponsibly is the real problem, not just that the enforcer is undermining their autonomy. In such situations, an individual’s actions are motivated not by conviction but by uncertainty and fear. Even if they were correct in their decision, it would only have happened by chance. Since none were sure their actions were justified, the outcome might have easily resulted in a negative effect (Kahn, 2021). Kantian ethics suggests that vaccination mandates violate individuals’ right to make uncoerced decisions. Medical coercion can be seen in vaccine policies, which use various forms of punishment to ensure compliance. Vaccine obligations that do not allow for waivers based on an individual’s religious or moral convictions run counter to the expectation that everyone should exercise personal responsibility. If immunizations are to be formalized by law or policy, parents’ right to question the wisdom of the decision must be upheld, regardless of whether or not their doubts are founded. They must be allowed to opt out of vaccinating their children if they feel uneasy about the decision. If exclusions based on a sense of ethics are taken away, parents are forced to take dangerous risks.
Conclusion
Evaluation of vaccination’s entire economic and social benefit is complex. There are long-term advantages to vaccination, both for the person and for society as a whole. These include a decrease in indirect expenses like lost productivity and sick days and an increase in the life quality for those not affected by the disease. All these essential facets of value help promote equality, which helps prevent socioeconomically motivated inequalities in access and health outcomes. However, vaccination can lose its significance in the wake of controversial mandates, as witnessed in the COVID-19 pandemic. People will question the safety and efficacy of vaccines produced on short notice or not supported by adequate scientific evidence. When scientists and governments cannot provide those answers, it is unethical to impose vaccine mandates on everyone without considering their potential consequences on vulnerable groups such as children.
Those who cannot comply with specified vaccination mandates for moral or ethical reasons should be exempted from those regulations. No matter what a person ultimately decides, an appeal to conscience is neither a license to ignorance nor a release from responsibility. Parents must, in the end, reconcile their consciences with reality. Therefore, clinicians, individuals, and organizations encountering parents who have decided against vaccinating their children should understand this decision’s complexities and must be responsive and accommodating to their personal feelings. Most parents are against vaccination because of the uncertainties surrounding vaccines in circulation.
References
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