The Covid Vaccine Mandate: As a Nurse I Refuse to Take Sides and Here’s Why

The World Health Organization’s key facts state that humans have “the right to the highest attainable standard of health,” which essentially says that a human has a right to safe, healthy living conditions so that they can participate in and enjoy their lives. (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-rights-and-health). Considering this document was published prior to Covid, I wonder if these rights are even applicable now?

In 2020, when the pandemic shut down our country and crippled our hospitals, was that a society in which people were living to their highest standard of health? Hell no! And today, no such utopia exists either, as the world’s cases of Covid ramp up thanks to the Delta and Omicron variants, and the speculation of vaccine mandate is now a reality.

What do we do as a country that’s been irreparably divided by politicians that battle like toddlers in a preschool over control of the newest toy, ie: the vaccine? How do we trust anything being fed to us by news agencies reporting biased information? Are the citizens opposed to the vaccine to blame, or is the poor dissemination of information to the public, and the channels through which it is being provided? Who is to be held accountable for the lack of participation in the drive to vaccinate all?

As a nurse, I have so many thoughts on mandatory vaccination. I can actually see both sides of the argument: one as a nurse, who wants to protect my patients and those that I love, and one as a nurse who learned the value of informed consent and the patient determining what types of medical treatments they are willing to undergo.

In May of 2020, at the peak of the pandemic in New Jersey, I worked on a Covid unit as my second job. As a nurse witnessing my colleagues crumbling, I wanted to do more.

Taking care of Covid patients on the floor was beyond heartbreaking and quite honestly, it was too much for me, physically and emotionally. Twelve hours masked, only able to take sips of water or bites of food, when you could sneak off to the break room, left you depleted by the end of the shift. I lasted all of 5 weeks and when I punched out after that last night, I walked away with more admiration for nurses than I ever had before in my life. And guess what? We were all doing that unvaccinated since there wasn’t one available yet.

I must admit, when the vaccine was ready for administration, I, too, was scared. As a nurse, who also had to study research methods and processes, I felt there couldn’t possibly have been enough research done to ensure it’s safety. Then I did what every nurse in nursing school was taught to do when educating a patient about new medications; I weighed the risks versus the benefits. I knew I did not want to contract the virus from my sick patients, and I also knew I did not want to infect them either.

But I also weighed my decision on a more personal level. I thought of my elderly and seriously compromised father in law, and the decision became a no-brainer, especially after witnessing the wrath of that virus first hand.

I decided if I could do anything to help prevent him from dying that awful death, I was going to do it. I didn’t want him to suffer nor did I want my husband to experience the pain caused when a family member was taken by Covid. I never wanted him to feel powerless as his father died alone in a hospital, behind a closed door, with no one to keep him from being scared. I wanted to shelter him from an untimely funeral for his Dad that only ten could attend. But mainly, I did not want those I loved to suffer unnecessarily.

You see, I took that vaccine because I cared more about what that dreaded disease could do to the people I loved, than the potential harm a vaccine could do to me but that was my choice.

I’ve sat quietly during this debate and maybe for far too long. The majority of my nursing colleagues have received their vaccines, as have my family and friends.

But there are many of my esteemed colleagues all over the country that have not, as well as many of my friends, and that is for reasons of their own. These individuals are now being faced with a choice - vaccinate or risk being unable to feed your family and pay your bills.

Am I going to judge them, try to shame them or shun them? Absolutely not. To be honest, as a trauma survivor and one hell of a patient advocate now, my first inclination was to fight for their cause as well. There’s nothing I hate to watch more than one of my patients becoming powerless over their medical decision, and the word mandate triggered that same response in me. I realize that vigilance stems from my own traumatic past but rather than fight as I normally would, I’ve opted to act as a peacemaker this time.

By analyzing my motivation to advocate for those whom the mandate is meant to affect, I discovered that my motivation is really simple. I’ve always tried to accept people regardless of their beliefs and strive to agree to disagree when our beliefs don’t align.

When I am involved in situations where I feel someone is being treated unjustly, it makes me uncomfortable. My self reflection allowed me to formulate questions that could possibly initiate a dialogue and assist us in approaching the situation with more resolve.

For example, what if the intensity of the push to vaccinate just subsided for a moment, and people pursuing their agendas, one way or the other, stopped to listen to the fears and hesitations of those resisting? Could such a cease fire potentially make way for a compromise?

Let’s also take into consideration that many of those resistant to the vaccine feel that way because it was politicized by a government that they do not trust. What if the government, instead of creating an environment where a person’s livelihood is at stake, provided an alternative to improve lives? I know this may be unrealistic, but humor me for a moment.

What about a tax break or a partial refund on the ridiculous amount we pay for health insurance in this country? Why not offer incentives to businesses that can be shared with employees if they opt to vaccinate rather than threaten termination? There’s got to be a more civil way to come to a resolution.

A dialogue must be initiated again for we are at a standstill and our citizens on both sides of the issue are growing angrier by the day. As with any heated argument, if each side is trying to be right, no one is ever listening to the opposing thoughts. What if we all just stopped for a few moments and opened our minds to listen?

Show interest, not judgment. Don’t call someone ignorant because they’re afraid. Don’t categorize or stigmatize someone because what they feel does not align with your feelings on the matter. What happened to respecting one another’s opinions? Ultimatums never work, nor do end dates.

As a nurse, I consider myself relatively well informed, but unfortunately, I still don’t know what the right answer is when it comes to vaccination and a mandate. My exhaustion increases by the day over the discourse and constant debating, though and I long for some harmony.

What I do know is this, though! In order to make the best decision for you, there are a couple things you can do:

Ask yourself what is truly driving you to avoid vaccination.

Read medical literature and do your research.

Listen to facts from a trusted source, like your family physician.

Take your time with your decision as no one has ever felt comfortable when a decision they’ve made was pressured.

Most importantly, do what is right for YOU, but do it fully informed.

The World Health Organization also states that humans “freedoms include the right to control one’s health and body, and to be free from interfernece (for example, free from torture and non-consensual medical treatment and experiementation)” (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-rights-and-health).

Mandating the Covid vaccine is causing an even greater divide in our country. I think we need to reevaluate how threatening someone’s livelihood will result in a change in their decision to vaccinate? How is that any different than telling a non-compliant diabetic that they are going to be terminated because they are costing the employer far too much in insurance premiums?

Isn’t there a better way? What are we doing? How are we ever going to start healing if we have lost sight of a person’s right to determine the medical treatments they receive?

In the end, if you opt not to vaccinate, I will respect your decision, and personally, I think the government should too.

However, in the event you opt not to vaccinate, I beg of you to please be mindful of those who are compromised, and ask that you wear a mask and social distance.

Think about it this way. Wearing a mask and social distancing is no different than staying home from work if you are sick so that you don’t get everyone else in the office sick! It’s about respecting other peoples’ health and well being. I get it if you don’t want the vaccine, but please take other precautions with regard to this awful virus.

Life is about choices and consequences. “When you make a choice you live with it,” was a lesson we’ve been taught since we were kids, but sadly sometimes it’s too late to change your mind. I’ve lost patients to the virus who did not vaccinate, and I wonder if they had known the outcome, if their decisions would have been different.

One gentleman who perished had bought into the political conspiracy theories, and man, was he passionate about his beliefs! I did not agree with him, but I respected him and listened quietly. I genuinely liked him, and I was so saddened when I heard he was gone.

Do you know what the worst part is? I’m pretty sure the politicians did not attend his funeral or send the family condolence cards to thank him for his loyalty. And do you know why? Because they don’t care. Their motivations are selfish and only with the thought of their next elections in mind.

As citizens of the world, and of the United States of America, we have got to come to a mutual understanding so we can move forward. We not only need to defeat the pandemic, we need to find a way to bridge the divide that’s been increasing and started long before the first diagnosis of Covid was ever made in this country.

Vaccination is one way to combat the pandemic, but allowing a choice in the matter is the first column of the bridge upon which we can bring together both sides of the divide. Once that happens, we may finally experience our true human rights again, the ones in which everyone can enjoy their lives.