Mandatory vaccinations are unethical

As a patient in a hospital in New York state, you have the right consistent with law to refuse treatment, refuse to take part in research, participate in all decisions about your treatment and complain without fear of reprisals.

Let's make something clear. A vaccine is an invasive medical procedure that carries a risk of injury or death. The hospital employee is the patient.New York state has said these flu vaccines are mandatory or you cannot work in health care. The hospital has said get the vaccines or be terminated.

What happened to informed consent? Informed consent is the process by which a fully informed patient can participate in choices about their health care. It originates from the legal and ethical right the patient has to direct what happens to their body and from the ethical duty of the physician to involve the patient in their health care.

It is generally accepted that complete informed consent includes a discussion of nature of the decision/procedure, reasonable alternatives to the proposed intervention and acceptance of the intervention by the patient.

I do not remember relinquishing my decisions about my health care to the state of New York. Take the shot or be terminated. Sounds maybe a little coercive? Certainly not voluntary.

My second very important point is that vaccine makers have legal immunity. The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has given legal immunity to the makers of flu vaccines for injuries stemming from their use. So-called pandemic vaccines, all adjuvants, antiviral medications and any other product used to fight "an epidemic" are protected under the law.

What this law does is effectively remove all financial incentive for a drug company to make a safe product. In fact, vaccine makers now have a negative incentive to test it for safety, because if they are aware of problems, then they could potentially be held liable for willful misconduct. As long as they can prove they did not know of any problem, they will not be liable for damages. It seems that to remain employed in health care you are being enlisted as human trial subjects for experimental, fast-tracked vaccines.

What was in the New York state Patients' Bill of Rights? Oh yes, "refuse to take part in research."

I did not even mention the discriminatory practice of mandatory vaccines. There are questions of equal treatment under the law. This is another valid question. Call your state senator, call your assemblyman, call the governor with your concerns.

Louis Gorczyca

Glenfield