Full disclosure! I’m double vaccinated, so hate me if you must.

While I recognize there are several unanswered and possibly unanswerable questions about currently available Covid-19 vaccines, I feel the reward is greater than the risk. I got vaccinated because I couldn’t come up with a strong enough reason not to. It was the same for yellow fever and Hepatitis B vaccine I got before going to Ecuador several years ago.

However, this was my choice. No one forced me. I had the freedom to choose yes or no with no consequences to my employment, modes of transportation or otherwise. While society may have encouraged me to ‘get jabbed,’ my choice was still my choice.

That seems to be changing, and I am unequivocally, absolutely, justifiably opposed to that change.

I have no problem dealing with a mask mandate. You put one on to go into a store or public place, and you take it off when you leave. No harm, no foul! It doesn’t have any long-lasting effects on my body other than an inconvenience, and if it does, I can claim a medical exemption. If I don’t want to wear a mask in a store, I can order online. Most stores are private businesses. I respect their right to set their own policies. Remember when ‘no shoes, no service’ was the most controversial requirement?

A vaccine mandate crosses a line. Even though I don’t think there are many harmful effects to vaccination, it does modify your body. It tricks your body into making antibodies. That’s its job, and generally, it works. And that’s where the problem is for me

As a society, we have civilized to the point that we have massive respect for individual liberties. And for me, the line in the sand is for how I treat my body. Suppose you don’t want to modify your body; that’s up to you. I realize, in some ways, it does affect the rest of us, but it’s still your body. A vaccine mandate is like requiring everyone to have a particular tattoo to participate in society on the assumption it makes it harder for identity theft to take place: greater good but a personal violation.

I understand that the 80% of people who have chosen to be vaccinated are frustrated with the vaccine-hesitant. Great! Encourage them, reason with them and beg them but don’t legislate, mandate, manipulate or require them to be vaccinated.

History has reflected very poorly on mandatory tattoos, forced sterilization and female circumcision. Vaccine cards, travel restrictions and job security will be the same.

Let me be clear; I’m for vaccinations but, I am violently opposed to restrictions within our country based on vaccination status!