Compulsory College Vaccinations Don't Infringe Upon Medical Integrity Standards
In a recent opinion essay published on June 14, 2021, in the Wall Street Journal, Nathan Nobis, PhD, refuted the claims made by Aaron Kheriaty and Gerard V. Bradley that university vaccine mandates violate medical ethics.
The authors argued that vaccine mandates treat college students as "mere means" and use them like "guinea pigs." However, Nobis contends that this is far from the truth. College students are not forced to get vaccinated by these mandates, and most students freely choose to comply with them. Moreover, students are fully informed about COVID and vaccines before making their decisions.
Kheriaty and Bradley also questioned if vaccines should be required for college students to respect the interests and potential rights of people at greater risk. Nobis counters this by stating that vaccinations are more for the potential benefit of the older and otherwise more vulnerable people the students will be around, such as instructors, college staff, and the broader community. Vaccines are useful to protect against the emergence and spread of new variants of the virus.
The authors called COVID vaccines "experimental," but Nobis argues that this is misleading since they have been rigorously tested and are not experimental in any medically relevant sense. People who have had COVID should also get vaccinated since it's unclear how long natural immunity will last.
Nobis further argues that any requirement to do what's ethically required is ethical, as both medical ethics and the Bible agree. College vaccination requirements do not demand that students be Good Samaritans, but only require them to be minimally decent Samaritans, who do what's morally required and get vaccinated.
The story of the Good Samaritan involves a man who went above and beyond to help a stranger in need, and is taken as a moral exemplar. In the context of college vaccination requirements, students are being asked to do what's morally required to protect themselves and those around them. This aligns with the ethical principle of beneficence, which requires individuals to act in ways that offer potential benefits for others.
It's noteworthy that there's nothing illegal about colleges requiring COVID vaccines for their students, faculty, and staff. No student has a right to go to any particular college; schools have the right to set requirements for their community's good. College vaccination requirements are not unethical, as they offer potential benefits for students and others, and they align with the ethical principle of beneficence.
In conclusion, the claims made by Kheriaty and Bradley that university vaccine mandates violate medical ethics are unfounded. College vaccination requirements are ethical, as they align with both medical ethics and the ethical principle of beneficence. They are a necessary measure to protect the health and safety of the college community and beyond.
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