Dying in the Name of Vaccine Freedom NYT Opinion

[Jetheels]

[Texaswitchy]

1. Still not sure about the vaccine.

Lying there with a oxygen mask on.

Didn't want to be told what to do.

Stupid.

[markie]

2. Ah...

so that's what freedom looks like...

[Dustlawyer]

3. We need to make sure that the Republican Party owns this!

[NoMoreRepugs]

4. It may be time to change that mantra of "Land of the Free - Home of the Brave."

[Warpy]

6. Land of the free, home of the graves?

These poor dumb people were just never taught that freedom carries responsibility, it's not absolute. One of those responsibilities is to protect people around us from our bad behavior, it's why we don't shit on the Thanksgiving turkey, for instance. It's why we have speed limits. It's why we have laws against theft, battery, and murder.

It's why most states used to have public health laws with strong teeth.

[magicguido]

5. Yet they'll be the first to trust Hospital Doctors and Science when they do get sick.

No Vaccine; No Treatment.

Christopher Green's tombstone should say "DEAD; but I owned the libs"

[Rhiannon12866]

16. That's what I don't get.

Those who reject the best medical advice - from doctors - that we have in this country head straight to hospitals when they get sick. How does that make sense?

[Larissa]

7. Thanks for sharing this video

Very sobering. Christopher Green was 53-years-old when he died nine days after he was interviewed in this video. He has -- not "had" -- two parents in their 70's, he said, who got vaccinated but contracted Covid. What I didn't hear him say was if his parents had died from Covid. I think he would have said as much, as it would have been the proof of his conviction not to get vaccinated. And now Christopher's parents have had to say good-bye to their son. Christopher availed himself of his freedom to die. I guess Christopher could have used his freedom to refuse the ventilator, but there are few things in life worse than struggling to breathe. Breathing is life itself. The first thing we do out of the womb. Everyone waits to hear the newborn's gasp and cry like Christopher's mom did for him. When Christopher talked to the reporter you can see him struggling to breathe at the same time. I get angry and disgusted with these anti-vaccers. But sometimes -- unexpectedly -- I cry, as i did for Christopher.

I don't know what this "freedom" crap is about because no one is being forced to get the vaccination. If your job mandates the vaccine and you refuse, then you will be routinely tested and are always free to get another job.

[Ray Bruns]

11. I think this freedom crap comes directly from fox noise.

[thucythucy]

8. To say "we've never mandated vaccines" and

"it's always been a personal choice" or words to that effect, as one of the GOPers does, is flat out wrong. We have in the past mandated vaccines for smallpox, rubella, and polio.

I had to be vaccinated for all of those when I attended public school.

The level of flat out ignorance (or duplicity) of these Republican "leaders" is astonishing.

[MiniMe]

9. But they think taking Ivermectin is a good thing

Idiots. Probably think injecting bleach is good too

[magicguido]

13. "I heard it works" is NOT science.

[nycbos]

10. David Frum said it best

"Compassion should always be the first reaction to vaccine hesitation. Maybe some unvaccinated people have trouble getting time off work to deal with side effects, maybe they are disorganized, maybe they are just irrationally anxious. But there’s no getting around the truth that some considerable number of the unvaccinated are also behaving willfully and spitefully. Yes, they have been deceived and manipulated by garbage TV, toxic Facebook content, and craven or crazy politicians. But these are the same people who keep talking about “personal responsibility.” In the end, the unvaccinated person himself or herself has decided to inflict a preventable and unjustifiable harm upon family, friends, neighbors, community, country, and planet."

www.theatlantic.com/...

[Ray Bruns]

12. Compassion should always be the first reaction to vaccine hesitation.

Strongly disagree.

[nycbos]

14. There is a legacy of racism in medicine...

... so I had some understanding why in some cases African-Americas might be a bit hesitant around the vaccine.

Now with hundreds of millions of people vaccinated world wide now the hesitant have no excuse.


I'm separating back from the assholes who refuse to get a vaccine under any circumstances. The people who are using horse de wormer as a cure for Covid.


Given the situation we are facing now was totally avoidable the compassion I had ran out.

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Well said:

"In the end, the unvaccinated person himself or herself has decided to inflict a preventable and unjustifiable harm upon family, friends, neighbors, community, country, and planet."