Public Threat or Individual Right?

Public Threat or Individual Right?
Vaccination and immunization are important health procedures that can save the life of a child. The decision not to vaccinate a child is an individual right. Patients have the liberty to decline treatment due to their personal or religious beliefs. The liberty may experience some obstacles since a child who is not vaccinated will pose a risk to other children, in the neighborhood or school. (MacDonald et al., 2018). For instance, vaccination against smallpox is mandatory in schools to prevent transmission to other children. Transmission of smallpox can pose adverse health issues to a child or death (Signorelli et al., 2018). A family may have beliefs about vaccination and immunization, but due to the greater good of society, they may be forced to vaccinate their child.
The first school vaccination law was enacted in the 1850s in Massachusetts to prevent the spread of smallpox. By the twentieth century, almost half of the states had enacted measures to ensure mandatory vaccination for children before joining school (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). The government or healthcare workers cannot force anyone to get vaccinated. The ethical principle of autonomy should be respected. However, the government places a punitive measure for those who are unwilling to comply with the government directive. The principle of autonomy allows patients to drive the treatment process (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). It allows patients to give consent or decline to receive treatment. For instance, while the government cannot force patients to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, it will not allow people to traverse across nations without a clearance certificate (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). The efforts do not amount to undermining the liberty of a patient, but it helps them to realize the negative outcomes of their decision to reject the vaccination.
The religious beliefs of parents should not interfere with the life of a child. Although a child is below the legal age of giving consent to treatment, healthcare workers should employ beneficence and maleficence to ensure they educate the parents about vaccination (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Religious beliefs may place a child at risk of diseases such as essential or polio. The dangers can threaten their lives or impact their health negatively. It is important to educate the patients to ensure they understand the role of vaccination and the dangers of rejecting the vaccine (Rainer et al., 2018). A nurse should educate the parents that their child will not be accepted in school if they do not have vaccination or immunization cards. To combat the spread of smallpox, Massachusetts passed the first school vaccination law in the 1850s. By the twentieth century, nearly half of the states had enacted legislation requiring children to be vaccinated before beginning school (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). No one can be forced to get vaccinated by the government or healthcare workers. The ethical principle of autonomy must be followed. The government, on the other hand, imposes a punitive measure on those who refuse to comply with the government directive. The autonomy principle allows patients to direct their own treatment (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). It allows patients to consent to or decline treatment. For example, while the government cannot compel patients to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, it will not permit people to travel across borders unless they have a clearance certificate (Holzmann & Wiedermann, 2019). The efforts do not amount to undermining a patient’s liberty, but they do Help them in understanding the negative consequences of their decision to refuse vaccination.
Practitioners will educate the parents and use all the means possible without undermining their liberty. It will be critical to respect the autonomy of the parents who are declining consent on behalf of a child (Rainer et al., 2018). Informed consent is a legal and ethical issue that is a prerequisite to treatment (Rainer et al., 2018). Healthcare workers have to respect the cultural and religious beliefs that may impede vaccination.
Conclusion
Mandatory vaccination may seem to be going against the liberty of a parent not to vaccinate their child. However, failure to vaccinate the child will place other people or children at risk. Governments consider the economic costs it could bear in taking care of the sick in case of an outbreak. The impact makes the government put a mandatory requirement for children joining school. The government still places a requirement on individuals traveling across countries to be vaccinated. Healthcare workers should respect the beliefs of the parents and observe the ethical and legal considerations. It is essential to educate the parents about the health threats a child will face and pose to other people if they do not get vaccinated.

References
Holzmann, H., & Wiedermann, U. (2019). Mandatory vaccination: suited to enhance vaccination coverage in Europe?. Eurosurveillance, 24(26), 1900376.
MacDonald, N. E., Harmon, S., Dube, E., Steenbeek, A., Crowcroft, N., Opel, D. J., … & Butler, R. (2018). Mandatory infant & childhood immunization: Rationales, issues and knowledge gaps. Vaccine, 36(39), 5811-5818.
McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical principles and guidelines of global health nursing practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473-481.
Rainer, J., Schneider, J. K., & Lorenz, R. A. (2018). Ethical dilemmas in nursing: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(19-20), 3446-3461.
Signorelli, C., Odone, A., Cella, P., & Iannazzo, S. (2018). Childhood vaccine coverage in Italy after the new law on mandatory immunization. Ann Ig, 30(4), 1-10.