Getting vaccination should be personal choice

The COVID-19 vaccine is here. There are many who can benefit. However, the general public has never been given accurate information on vaccine safety. In the 1980s, the federal government established the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program for those injured by vaccines.

The purpose of the fund is to shield pharmaceutical companies from liability. Because there are no lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for vaccine injury, the general public has little understanding of vaccine risks. Instead we read and watch news stories denouncing “anti-vaxxers” as kooks and conspiracy theorists.

I was injured by a diphtheria booster shot in 2019. I’m not alone; I now belong to a Facebook group with almost 250,000 members — people who have been injured by vaccines or have relatives who have been injured.

Vaccines trigger the immune system. This can lead to chronic autoimmune problems, not just an “allergic reaction” that lasts a few hours or days. I wasn’t screened, nor was I counseled on risks and benefits. All medical interventions are supposed to be preceded by a discussion of risks and benefits. This information is supposed to come from the doctor ordering the intervention and the patient is supposed to have an opportunity to ask questions. Without a discussion of risks and benefits there is no informed consent, which is malpractice.

COVID-19 is devastating to some people. It’s true that it cannot always be predicted who will die or become very sick. But it should be a personal decision whether to have the vaccine. The right to refuse a medical intervention is a basic right. All people should receive accurate information on any medical intervention they are contemplating. The general public also deserves to know whether the vaccinated might still get a contagious mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19.

— Anne Rettenberg, San Rafael