Introduction
The issue of parents refusing to vaccinate themselves and their children is a highly relevant healthcare issue that consists of philosophical and ethical components. It frequently occurs due to parents being skeptical of vaccines and not wanting to harm their children; however, this approach might be dangerous for the general population’s health. In many philosophical traditions, people should have complete autonomy over their bodies, and some movements support full parental authority. It leads to the ethical dilemma of whether healthcare professionals should abide by moral principles or medical ethics. The current paper thoroughly examines this predicament through the lens of feminism, supports the findings with credible academic studies, includes media perspectives, and discusses ethical actions and implications. Ultimately, anti-vaccination is a morally ambiguous phenomenon, but nurses need to thoroughly educate the population concerning the risks via evidence-based practices.
Analysis of the Ethical Issue with Feminism
The proposed ethical issue – parents against vaccination – can be examined through various ethical theories. For example, the second-wave feminism model opposes mandatory vaccination as it violates individuals’ civil rights (Murphy, 2021). At the very least, it implies that parents should have complete authority over their own bodies and refuse vaccination if they desire. The situation with juveniles is more complex since feminism does not explicitly state that parents have full authority over their children’s bodies (Murphy, 2021). In other words, the examined ethical issue deals with the questions of personal autonomy and parental authority.
Feminist ethics defines human rights as rights individuals hold by existing virtue. Since the beginning of ethical theory in the 18th century, feminism asserted that people in their respective nations have the right to freedom of expression and opinion on what to and not to participate in specifically (Slegers, 2021). The continuous oppression of women by healthcare professionals and practice explains the vaccination issue from a feminist theory perspective. For instance, feminist researchers and activists have exposed and condemned doctors’ propensity to view women’s bodies as just tools for their trade instead of as the sites of autonomous entities (Slegers, 2021). Mothers should be particularly diligent while searching for responses to their queries concerning the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations due to the fact that health experts have frequently engaged in the oppression of women. Consequently, the ethical theory explains that it is not illogical for mothers to reject the physicians’ assurances that child vaccinations are secure and efficient.
Exploration of the Ethical Issue with the Scholarly Literature
Vaccination hesitancy among the general public, and particularly parents, is not only a public health threat but also an ethical issue. Tunick (2021) writes that the question of personal autonomy cannot be analyzed without the involvement of the state and the common good. In other words, even if parents decide not to get their children vaccinated, there are multiple complications regarding the decisional autonomy of the state and minors (Tunick, 2021). Rus and Groselj (2021) support the idea of vaccination through the usage of four biomedical ethics principles – autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence. According to this perspective, mandatory vaccination is justifiable, and healthcare specialists need to implement intelligent communication strategies to convey this message to parents (Rus & Groselj, 2021). In this context, explaining the concept of “Herd Immunity” as the common good might help parents reevaluate their understanding of vaccines and their potential consequences (Rus & Groselj, 2021, p. 7). Ultimately, focusing on ethical principles and scholarly literature is an effective method of analyzing the issue.
However, even within this ethical framework, the question of personal autonomy is the most critical and concerning problem that frequently makes parents skeptical of vaccination. This contradiction can be analyzed in the form of ex-ante and ex-post viewpoints. In feminism and contractual theories, the former means the absolute adherence to personal identity and autonomy decisions (Suikkaken, 2019). Ex-post implies that the outcomes of one’s judgments, such as the vaccine refusal, are more significant than one’s understanding of morality and ethics (Suikkaken, 2019). Anti-vaccination can lead to notable health risks in the general population; hence, ex-post feminists would typically oppose this approach. On the other hand, many second-wave feminists choose the ex-ante model, focusing on their own identity, autonomy, and bodily rights. Moreover, parents might prioritize this approach due to the lack of confidence in the vaccines and the desire to protect their children.
Nursing and Ethical Issues
The nursing profession is involved in addressing the ethical concerns arising from the anti-vaccination issue. The College of Nurses of Ontario’s (2023) practice standard document argues that nurses encounter several ethical situations in their practice. However, it notes that it is essential for nurses to recognize ethical concerns and work on them immediately after they occur. For instance, nurses must use a decision-making model to make informed decisions about ethical dilemmas. It should be linked to the best interest of ethical care. When dealing with parents against vaccination, nurses are encouraged to ensure a therapeutic nurse-client relationship. It leads to mutual trust, opens the discussion, and creates room for an assistant (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2023). Moreover, this approach allows the nurse to discuss the benefits and disadvantages of the present vaccination while also hearing out the patient’s view. Within the discussed ethical traditions, it is critical that nurses attempt to understand the underlying reasons why parents might be skeptical about vaccination. Ultimately, communication is critical to establishing a healthy nurse-patient relationship and mitigating the consequences of anti-vaccination perspectives.
The Media
The issue of parents’ attitudes toward vaccination has widely been covered in Canadian media outlets, among which is CBC. The Canadian outlet illustrates how a study performed by the University of Alberta claims that Canadian parents have a lower likelihood of wanting their young children immunized against COVID-19 (Parsons, 2022). The media states that parents were more likely to report they wanted to vaccinate children between the ages of two and four than younger children, with 45.4% of parents intending to do so (Parsons, 2022). Then, 56% of parents planned to vaccinate their children between the ages of 5 and 11 (Parsons, 2022). The rest of the respondents either had no plans to vaccinate their children or were unsure of each age group (Parsons, 2022). As a result, as one can see, the majority of parents do not find the vaccination of their children safe.
The media outlet proceeds by illustrating the main concerns of parents. CBC states that parents consider their younger children to be more fragile (Parsons, 2022). Concerns regarding vaccine safety, the rapidity of vaccine development, and the fact that it was a novel vaccine were expressed by parents who either had no intention of immunizing their children against COVID-19 or who were unsure (Parsons, 2022). Naturally, the vaccination has been approved based on age-based standards. Therefore, it seems natural that adults become more apprehensive when it comes to their younger children. In terms of feminism theory, this shows that parents do not always consider the necessity of vaccines and prioritize the safety of their children.
Anti-Vaccination and Social Justice
Consequently, the moral dilemma of vaccination and the abundance of people who refuse vaccine mandates are directly related to the idea of social justice. In general, it is the perspective implying that every person deserves political, economic, social, and health rights and opportunities (Corporate Finance Institute, 2022). When it comes to health rights, social justice implies that everyone has the right to choose whether or not they should participate in certain health practices. Thus, mandatory vaccination breaks the health rights as included in the social justice principles. However, as noted previously in the discussion of feminism, it is a morally ambiguous issue due to the potential adverse impact on the general population’s health. It means that healthcare professionals need to develop innovative policies and programs to convince people of the vaccination’s benefits and minimize the risks of virus spread. Ultimately, the debate is likely to continue as some people uphold the perspective that their personal autonomy is significantly more critical than the well-being of people around them or the idea of social justice.
Ethical Actions
A registered nurse can support the resolution of mandatory vaccination issues and promote social justice. One of the evidence-based ethical actions registered nurses can take is first to help society understand the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine with sufficient evidence (World Health Organization, 2022). In the examined literature and media outlets, the major identified causes of anti-vaccination include the desire for personal autonomy and the lack of confidence in vaccines. Moreover, some parents argue that medications are linked to government and pharmaceutical companies’ interests instead of the goal of improving public health.
These findings show that registered nurses should raise public awareness concerning vaccines by cooperating with members who have been vaccinated through evidence and their overall experience. Parent-centered programs can help significantly to improve confidence in vaccines. Consequently, educational policies that focus on the general population’s knowledge of vaccine efficiency might be highly beneficial. As Rus and Groselj (2021) note, many people do not realize the positive impact of early vaccination since it is an established practice. If it did not exist, virus spread would be a significantly more problematic healthcare issue. In other words, experts should prioritize educational policies to explain the dangers of anti-vaccination by utilizing real-life examples from the past and the potential consequences of the issue.
Lastly, in a parent-centered program, registered nurses can help address vaccine-resistant issues by fully educating the parents available on the impact of the vaccine not only on them but also on the social and economic status of their nations. It is essential to present, especially to individual rural communities, why they should take the vaccine (World Health Organization, 2022). As per the World Health Organization’s information, most minorities in rural communities are reluctant to take the vaccine. An evidential program including videos of the overall vaccine benefits can increase their awareness and willingness to take the vaccine.
Conclusion
The empirical findings in the various pieces of ethical literature have argued that while mandatory vaccination aims to raise vaccination rates and fulfill public health goals, healthcare professionals must understand why some people hesitate to vaccinate. Using a parent-centered program, for instance, can address some of the issues. In addition, nurses can educate the general population based on evidence of the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. For future exploration, it is necessary to understand the causes of public hesitance regarding vaccine effectiveness. If the government and healthcare professionals can improve the quality of medications and ensure people are safe during the procedure, more people would be willing to sacrifice their personal autonomy for the sake of other people. Ultimately, it is critical to understand the causes of anti-vaccination perspectives to mitigate them.
References
College of Nurses of Ontario (2023). Ethics. Web.
Corporate Finance Institute. (2022). Social Justice. Web.
Murphy, M. (2021). The feminist case against vaccine mandates. UnHerd. Web.
Parsons, P. (2022). The younger their child, the less likely parents will want them to get COVID-19 vaccine, survey finds. CBC. Web.
Rus, M., & Groselj, U. (2021). Ethics of vaccination in childhood — A framework based on the four principles of biomedical ethics. Vaccines, 9(2), 113. Web.
Slegers, R. (2021). The ethics and economics of middle-class romance. The Journal of Ethics, 25, 525–542. Web.
Suikkaken, J. (2019). Ex ante and ex post contractualism: A synthesis. The Journal of Ethics, 23, 77-98. Web.
Tunick, M. (2021). State authority, parental authority, and the rights of mature minors. The Journal of Ethics. Web.
Weeks, C. (2023). Vaccine hesitancy, COVID conspiracies led to thousands of deaths, high cost for health care system, report finds. The Globe and Mail. Web.
World Health Organization (2022). COVID-19 and mandatory vaccination: Ethical considerations. Web.