Mandatory Vaccination, Revisited

"The moral justification is usually a utilitarian one: while there is a cost and possible harm arising from mandatory school vaccinations, this is outweighed by the harm these vaccinations prevent. Students are in close contact in closed spaces for long periods of time, putting them at risk. As such, allowing students (or, rather, their parents) to opt out of vaccines would put themselves and others at greater risk."

"In terms of a moral objection to mandatory vaccinations at schools during a pandemic is that the long-term effects of a new vaccine on children and teens would not be known. As such, one could claim that possible harmful effects of the vaccine migh t outweigh the harms of being unvaccinated. While this is a legitimate concern, it is not unique: all past vaccines have raised the same concern."

Schools have an established precedent for requiring student vaccination, justified primarily by utilitarian grounds because vaccination prevents greater harms despite some costs. Students’ prolonged close contact in enclosed spaces increases transmission risk, so allowing opt-outs would elevate risk to individuals and others. Medical exemptions should be granted but are extremely rare. During a pandemic the argument for mandates strengthens due to higher risk and harm. Concerns about unknown long-term effects of new vaccines are legitimate but not unique; historically benefits have outweighed harms unless specific evidence indicates a special problem. Employer mandates remain more controversial, with some professions already commonly required to vaccinate.

Read at A Philosopher's Blog