Opposing View: Education, not coercion, on vaccinations

As the largest national association exclusively representing federal law enforcement officers and agents, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association believes our members are most equipped to make their medical decisions – not their employer.

To be clear, the available vaccines appear generally safe and effective, and I encourage our members to get the vaccine to protect themselves, their families, their colleagues and their communities from COVID-19. However, this is ultimately a medical decision that should be made between an individual and their doctor. The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate places the government in the middle of individual medical decisions, which is inappropriate and unfair.

The vaccines are still under emergency use authorization, which means they have not been subject to full review and approval by the Food and Drug Administration. It is reasonable that the lack of complete approval causes hesitancy and concern. People should not be made to feel uncomfortable for making a reasonable medical choice.

Additionally, while people with weakened immune systems may get the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admits there is limited safety data on the vaccine for these groups. It is unclear how the Biden administration plans to navigate this gray area, and doing so may require employees to share more invasive medical history and information. We feel the government should not pry into people’s medical history and should leave those decisions to individual medical professionals.

Additionally, the goal should be to achieve herd immunity from COVID-19. Herd immunity can be reached two ways: through vaccination or previous infection. While it is unclear how long antibodies remain in one’s system following infection, mandating vaccination when it might not be necessary only turns people off from voluntarily getting the vaccine.

We encourage the Biden administration to use incentives to promote vaccination. Personally, I chose to get the vaccine because a close family member of mine passed away from COVID-related complications. Telling these stories, engaging with people directly and encouraging people to discuss vaccination options with their doctors is the best way to promote vaccination. Threatening people’s livelihood and penalizing employees for making independent medical decisions is not the answer.

We are nation built on freedom. We are law enforcement officers who defend that freedom. And we deserve the freedom to make our own health decisions. We think education, not coercion, is the best way to stop the spread.