Unconstitutional Mandatory Vaccination Essay Example

The topic of mandated vaccinations has been heavily debated ever since the vaccines were proven effective. Many believe that it is not constitutional to make it mandatory to be vaccinated. However, just as many believe the opposite, that if we do not make vaccines mandatory, then society will be ruined. Although both make good arguments, the arguments made for the mandating of COVID-19 vaccinations are stronger. Despite the fact that removing the right to choose to become vaccinated or not could be considered unconstitutional, its positive effects would largely outweigh the negative ones. According to Erwin Chemerinsky, a liberal arts scholar recognized for his work regarding constitutional law, if the United States reached eighty percent vaccination, then the Delta variant wouldn’t have had a place to appear. Additionally, the mortality and hospitalization rates of the COVID-19 disease exceed even some of the most deadly and widespread diseases society has witnessed. 

Many people view the idea of mandatory vaccinations as entirely unconstitutional. They believe that without the right to choose removes what makes the United States free. The mandate of vaccinations could also have a negative effect on American society. According to CM Murray, mandatory vaccines may indirectly create discrimination against those who do not take the vaccine. Many people are advised not to administer the vaccine due to other illnesses. The CDC states that diseases such as HIV and other immune system weakening illnesses create risks in administering the vaccine. The vaccine creates an immunity to the COVID disease by injecting the patients with a small amount of the disease, therefore people with weakened immune systems are advised not to because the small amount of the disease that is injected may be deadly to them. However, these arguments do not outweigh the benefits of the vaccine. With a higher vaccinated population, the United States would be able to go back to what was considered normal life soon.

Along with mandatory vaccinations would come a quick reset of life. The COVID-19 disease has affected American society in many vast ways. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, at least half of the households within the four largest US cities are experiencing expended savings and trouble paying for various bills. The effects of quarantine have not only changed the United States’ economy but society as a whole. Many businesses shut down, and, as a result, many people lost their jobs. These people faced hardship and struggle without a steady source of income. If the government went through with mandating vaccinations, then this struggle would largely dissipate. The shut-down businesses would be able to reopen and search for new employees. Many people would regain a job and a source of income, and life would generally return to normal. Within the lecture provided by the American Heritage Project, Erwin Chemerinsky explains how greatly the Delta variant has impacted post-vaccine life. He states that the Delta variant is far more contagious than the base form of the virus. Without a mandate of the vaccine, the Delta variant may be able to mutate into a new form that makes the vaccine ineffective. This new form could destroy the small amount that society has rebuilt. Although the vaccine does come with small negative side effects, the benefits strongly outweigh them.

Not only would American society largely benefit from mandatory vaccinations, but the mortality and hospitalization rates of the coronavirus is another large problem that would be diminished. According to the Centers for Disease Control(the CDC), the estimated mortality rate of COVID-19 is 234 deaths per 100,000 population in the United States in 2021. In comparison, the mortality rate of influenza in the US is 1.8 per 100,00 population in 2021. According to NPR (National Public Radio), about twenty percent of COVID-19 cases are severe enough the be hospitalized. The CDC also states that the rate of hospitalization for influenza is far lower at a mere one to two percent. If vaccines were to be mandated, then both the mortality and hospitalization rates would be decreased. The increase in the vaccinated population would mean that there are more people that are resistant to the virus. 

The idea of mandatory vaccination is a heavily debated subject in American society, many people believe that it is unconstitutional to implement mandatory vaccination while others believe that it is necessary to return society to what it once was. Although there are powerful arguments against and for mandatory vaccinations, the stronger side is the latter. The mortality and hospitalization rates and benefits it would offer society heavily outweigh the argument that mandatory vaccines are unconstitutional.