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Comment by todipa | Hacker News Reader

I don't know much about this outbreak but in some parts of the world you are required to have your vaccinations up to date if you want access to public services.

Can't that be implemented at a state/local level?

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It certainly can, but Washington state has a slight libertarian bent and the current law lets parents opt their kids out of vaccination with a form. Other states are much more strict. The current legislature is considering changing the law in light of current events...

I think it's really weird and sad that this comment and another pro-vaccine comment were downvoted to almost dead within minutes of being posted.

Yeah, though it is bad form to comment on up/downvotes, the voting in this thread is super weird for hacker news. It is putting some other conversations on the site recently in a new light for me, though.

I did not downvote and will not, because the post is phrased as a question. But, I do oppose compulsory vaccination because it harms bodily integrity.

I understand your issue here, but at the same time people not getting vaccinated causes significant health risks to me and my family.

Given the risks involved I'm happy for people to be either made to have them or be excluded from society.

By that criterion, you should support vaccination because as scientific research has shown over and over again, individuals who serve as vectors of disease end up harming the bodily integrities of their communities.

Concern for "bodily integrity" might compelling if abstaining from vaccines didn't harm anyone else, or if the subjects weren't children unable to make informed medical decisions for themselves; obviously neither of those things are true.

The idea of bodily integrity fundamentally makes sense, but in the context of vaccinations and the undeniable benefits to the entirety of society, it should not stand in the way of vaccinations.

Alongside your disapproval of compulsory vaccinations do you approve placing limits on the interactions with society for a non-vaccinated person if there's no medical reason for them not to get vaccinated?

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