There have been a lot of headlines the last few weeks about companies mandating employees to be fully vaccinated. Some private colleges are also requiring students to be vaccinated before the fall semester, although a few I saw allow exceptions for health or religious reasons. Due to all of these developments, it’s not big news that Disney is requiring all of its salaried and non-unionized hourly cast members to be vaccinated (https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/07/30/disney-to-require-all-non-union-cast-members-to-be-vaccinated/). This post will explore the ethics of such requirements.
In a December 2020 document from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), it was stated that vaccination against COVID can promote the common good. On the flip side, “the vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore it must be voluntary.” Some people think that everyone should get the vaccine. After all, it appears that those who are vaccinated and then come down with the virus do not get as sick, However, there have been some blood clotting issues identified with the various vaccines. In addition, although the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were not developed from aborted fetal lines (unlike Johnson & Johnson), they were tested with some problematic lines. It is morally licit for Catholics to take Pfizer and Moderna, although they should avoid Johnson & Johnson if they have other options. Some people, in forming their conscience, believe that even the remote connection to evil makes them want to avoid Pfizer and Moderna altogether (and perhaps wait for a vaccine that is even more removed from ties to abortion). Some Catholic bishops, like Cardinal Dolan, have said that priests should not sign requests from people requesting a “religious exemption” from getting the vaccine. Other bishops, such as those in Colorado, have argued for the rights of people to refuse a vaccine on the grounds of conscience. People have a duty to follow their conscience (even if it is not properly formed). So it is morally problematic that employers are forcing some employees with the decision to either keep their job (and therefore get vaccinated against their conscience) or to be fired from their job. I’m not an economist, but such a policy also seems economically untenable right now due to the difficulty of many employers to hire enough workers.
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