This exemplar covers the ethical debates surrounding the Covid-19 vaccine and it's whether it should be mandatory or not, a hot topic that could be asked about in your upcoming Medical School Interview!
Should the Covid-19 vaccine
be made mandatory?
Intro- as we are all aware, the Covid-19 virus gripped our world, causing
worldwide lockdowns, and an unfortunate amount of deaths. Currently, many
countries require you to be double vaccinated in order to travel to them.
Personal anecdote- I had to become double vaccinated in order to travel to
Pakistan for my cousins wedding. Technically, currently the vaccine is not
mandatory, however it does restrict your travel
For- justice on society, one of the medical ethics which underpins medical
ethics. If we do not make the vaccine mandatory, many would be unvaccinated
and could potentially come into contact with those who are vulnerable. During
my work experience as a HCA, I had the opportunity to converse with many
patients, many of those who expressed grave concern of even coming into the
GP, in the case that they may contract Covid-19. This shows to me that many
people are still worried, especially the elderly and vulnerable. As a doctor,
moral responsibility to patient safety. This comes under non-maleficence, not
causing harm to the patients.
For- greater protection of healthcare workers- healthcare professionals are
risking contracting the virus every time they tend to patients. Making the Covid-
19 vaccine mandatory would protect both patients and doctors. Doctors are
members of society also and have members of their family that could be
vulnerable.
Against- patient autonomy- patients should have the right to control their own
healthcare, and this involves taking vaccines. Some people may have a moral
disagreement with vaccines or religious, and one of the main tenets of
medicine is respect and dignity. Some people unfortunately hold beliefs which
are untrue, and this was caused through things like the Andrew Wakefield
scandal, who was an anti vaccine activist who published an article linking the
MMR vaccine to children developing autism. Even though the article was
established to be fraudulent, people still hold onto the belief that vaccines are
dangerous and have such side effects. Even if they are misinformed, rather
than making the vaccine compulsory, shouldn’t we aim to educate the public
about the vaccine, how they work, short and long term effect and the benefits
that come out of taking the vaccine.
Should the Covid-19 vaccine be made mandatory? 1
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