Hospital vaccine mandate is ethical and preventive health care

Valley Health: Virginia, West Virginia & Maryland

Echo opinion To The Editor

Published in the Northern Virginia Daily newspaper:

Although disagreement persists over the long-term threat that the COVID-19 vaccines may pose to humans, we might yet agree that, as Valley Health clearly embraces the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines, the organization is quite right to mandate vaccination of its employees.

No one should expect Valley Health, whose obvious mission is promoting public health and wellness, to employ individuals who refuse a procedure that the organization deems vital to fulfilling that mission. No one should expect Valley Health to employ those who, in its view, might undermine the well-being and productivity of staff and patients. No responsible business of any kind employs people it considers liabilities.

With regard to any violation by Valley Health of the Nuremberg Code of medical ethics (mentioned in a commentary that appeared in the Aug. 5 edition of the Northern Virginia Daily), the code was written in 1947, subsequent to World War II, in response to the monstrous, forced experimentation performed by Nazi “doctors” on concentration camp prisoners. In fact, the Nuremberg Code addresses the treatment of human subjects in medical experiments and says nothing about the use of approved vaccines tested on people who agreed to be immunized and is authorized to give to patients.

Parallels to the systemic sadism of the Nazis simply cannot be found in the American medical profession.  The code of medical ethics created in response to Nazi experiments during the Holocaust has been misrepresented by those pushing an anti-vaccine message during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To falsely insinuate that such parallels exist represents an attempt to enflame rather than to enlighten.  #VaccinesSaveLives

John Clem, Edinburg, Virginia