WSJ ArticleIn February, the Alpine republic [Austria] will join Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Indonesia in mandating Covid-19 vaccination for all adults. In the West, only the Vatican, with roughly 800 residents, has so far imposed such a mandate.
One study estimates the mortality rate for the vaccine is roughly 8 per million. The population of Austria is roughly 9 million. Back of the napkin math comes up with 72. There's lots of room for argument with that calculation and the study's estimate, but the specific number isn't that important.
What is important that there will certainly be some citizen deaths caused directly by their government. Have we given this right to them? Is there a debt or obligation incurred? How do you pay? What currency will compensate a family for a love one lost. Spouse, parent, sibling, child?
This is Utilitarianism. The "greatest happiness" principle, for realz. Some people will be condemned to death by their government. They just don't know who it is yet. A mandatory lottery of death, of sorts. All must play, orders the elected officials.
Yes, the other side of the scale is whatever it is. Anti-vaxxers dying or spreading (but both of those are also possible with/from the vaccinated). Fine, do the math (that's utilitarianism). But the reality remains that there will be death on the other side - due to a direct decree from one's government. Is that simply an obligation owed by the individual to society? Is that being free? Does one's intrinsic value weigh more heavily? Every man for himself, come what may?
Again, none of this is hypothetical. Real world. Real countries. Real people.
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