LETTER: Vaccination is personal choice, but it affects everyone’s rights

We all have the right to make a choice whether or not to be vaccinated against Covid-19. “My body, my choice,” embraced by anti-vaxxers, applies to other circumstances as well, but that is a discussion for another day. When you make your decision about whether or not to get the vaccine, please consider that your personal choice affects the rights of everyone else in society. 

You also need to know that mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, are not new and have been studied for more than 10 years. These vaccines do not contain killed viruses and cannot give you Covid-19. These vaccines do not, and cannot, alter your DNA. The vaccines do not convey a microchip into your system. The vaccine will not make you sterile, but contracting Covid-19 might. 

The FDA has given full approval for the Pfizer vaccine for specific age groups. Millions of people have been vaccinated with no lingering adverse effects. Contracting a Covid-19 variant after being vaccinated is proven to result in a milder case of the disease with hospitalization less likely and a significantly lower risk of death. 

Your choice affects the lives of your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, your co-workers and everyone else you may come into contact with. It is not your right to put other people in jeopardy. Determining whether or not to be vaccinated is not a political decision. It is a matter of public health. If you don’t believe me, consult with the friends and relatives of the 754,000 plus people who have died, many needlessly, from this disease.

We all want our lives to be back to what we consider normal. We want the economy to continue to improve. We want the supply chain issues to be resolved so that inflation is once again under control. We want people to go to work and school safely. We all deserve to be able to leave our homes without fear of contracting a preventable, and potentially deadly, disease. 

These goals can only be accomplished by getting this virus and its mutations under control. The only way to achieve control is to stop the spread of the virus and its many variations. The best way to stop the spread is by having the majority of citizens vaccinated. 

Exercise your right to make your personal choice, but please remember that a choice to remain unvaccinated infringes on the rights of the rest of us to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Mary Meins

Sheboygan