Video
Twitter
RSS Feed
THE QUESTION
The swine flu vaccine: option or moral duty?
Polls show a majority of Americans are concerned about the H1N1 virus (swine flu), but also about the safety and efficacy of the swine flu vaccine. Is it ethical to say no to this or any vaccine? Are there valid religious reasons to accept or decline a vaccine? Will you get a swine flu shot? Will your children?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on October 14, 2009 12:08 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Vaccination: the moral imperative
In reality, however, I suspect that opposition to the H1N1 vaccine has less to do with religion and more to do with the widespread mistrust of scientific medicine: a stance which is as baffling to me as religious belief.
Posted by Paula Kirby, on October 20, 2009 3:09 PM
Not to vaccinate is a sin
When we refuse a child a vaccination we are violating the rationale for having children. We are unnecessarily endangering others. Not only is one's own child at risk. Vaccinations are a barrier against contagion. In unvaccinated populations everyone is at risk.
Posted by David Wolpe, on October 18, 2009 6:45 PM
An ethical question, not a religious problem
When we accept the use of medicine in general, the use of any particular medication or vaccine is not a religious problem, but sometimes an ethical, and mostly a practical question.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on October 17, 2009 11:04 PM
Swine Flu, Health Care Decisions and Morality
Our traditions do tell us this: We are all embodiments of the divine, the Goddess. We all deserve flourishing health and lives of vitality.
Posted by Starhawk, on October 16, 2009 1:04 AM
What about society's moral duty?
The question isn't whether such a sincere, genuine religious belief exists, therefore, but rather what society as a whole should do when someone sincerely and deeply holds a view that may endanger children or others.
Posted by James Standish, on October 15, 2009 4:08 PM
Getting Vaccine a Moral Responsibility
When does the well-being of the society take precedence over individual rights? Why is it more important for one to declare his or her "rights" than for that individual to want to help halt the spread of a disease which is, apparently, threatening to become a pandemic?
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on October 14, 2009 4:55 AM
Common Cup or Common Liability?
In the UK we had a great panic a few months ago, and a decree went out from the highest authorities in the Church of England at least that it was better for the moment for everyone simply to receive Communion in one kind only.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on October 13, 2009 12:54 PM
Spare Rods, Not Vaccines
There are religious reasons to decline a vaccine, there are valid reasons to decline a vaccine, but there are no valid religious reasons to decline a vaccine.
Posted by Herb Silverman, on October 13, 2009 8:29 AM
Paging Dr. Salk: Undermining Trust in Science Puts our Kids at Risk
Where is the trust my parents had in Dr. Salk? It is no more, replaced by religious fear-mongering about science and aided by the lack of basic science education in our schools.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on October 12, 2009 6:52 PM
Anti-vaccine junk science: A question of ignorance
The anti-vaccination movement has made the job of public health officials more difficult because of its constant drumbeat, unsupported by credible scientific evidence, that vaccines are responsible for autism.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on October 12, 2009 4:21 PM
FEATURED COMMENTS
