The world has never been more on edge over a vial of chemicals.
A COVID-19 vaccine, the mythical ambrosia of the gods, has emerged from laboratories run by Pfizer, Moderna and other giants of the drug industry. In the span of a few months, the world’s most sought-after drug has emerged and is almost ready to go to market. It is a miracle of science, some might say, and demonstrates the kind of results we can expect when we trust in expertise rather than political dogmatism.
I think it’s worth wondering why we are in this position in the first place. Many of the world’s governments and a handful of U.S. states have made the normal functioning of society contingent on the arrival of this very vaccine. People have lost jobs, lost homes, and massive public debts have accrued due to the heavy-handed actions of governments. No wonder, then, people have craved this vaccine like a thirsty man in a desert.
At the same time, confidence in the vaccine itself is wavering. Around 30% of the U.S. population won’t take the vaccine as soon as it’s available. Much of this has to do with the rushed nature of its development, but some also question the supposed efficacy of the vaccine. Not because it seems bad, but it seems too good to be true. No vaccine is 100% effective, and efficacy will vary depending on the disease, but the supposed 94% effective rate of the Moderna vaccine is particularly high.
But don’t expect dissent from taking the vaccine to be treated with any modicum of tolerance. While the government itself may not mandate all citizens to take it, various other organizations, especially schools, might. If it becomes impossible to attend school, work, or travel across state lines without a vaccine record, it might as well be compulsory.
There is no doubt COVID-19 is a serious and deadly disease to certain vulnerable populations, nevertheless we have to question what kind of society we are creating. We are making it harder and harder for individuals to dissent from institutional power, even when it comes to the chemical cocktails we allow to be injected into our own bodies. This flies in the face of all kinds of cultural shibboleths, not only for those of a libertarian persuasion but also for progressives who are, by all metrics, the most enthusiastic about universal vaccination. It’s a violation of bodily autonomy to ban abortion, but not to force someone to take an experimental vaccine?
Remember also, the choice here is not merely to get the vaccine, but to get the vaccine so that life can resume as normal. Suddenly, world and state governments found it within the purview of their emergency powers to ban literally any activity other than sitting in your house, going to the grocery store, or doing “necessary” work. I bet you won’t find that power enumerated in the Constitution.
Societies run on precedent and inertia. For example, most countries do not practice near-universal male circumcision, but the United States does and continues to do so. Why? No real practical benefit, it’s just the way we’ve done it for decades.
In the case of a Coronavirus vaccine, the need for universal vaccination is clear and present. Only a fool wouldn’t be vaccinated if it were proven safe. But now we have a new precedent, one that says whenever there is a crisis, we can use social and institutional pressure to force people to make drastic healthcare decisions they might not otherwise have made.
Maybe you think opinion-makers and the people who run the medical establishment in this country are trustworthy and always have the best intentions. You might recall an old aphorism about the road to Hell and what it’s paved with.
Personally, I believe everyone should take the COVID-19 vaccine if it proves safe and effective, if for no other reason than the fact it would remove any justification for another prolonged lockdown. That being said, I believe it is important to keep in mind what kind of bargain we are making, exactly. Would-be tyrants do not forget precedent, they stand on it.
The arrival of the Coronavirus vaccine may liberate us from the threat of this foreign pathogen, but it might also bind us to a new and dangerous abuse of power in the future.
Photo Credit / Times.co.uk
