Legally, the government can do this; some private employers already are, and it looks likely the military will, although these vaccinations aren’t truly mandatory because objecting individuals retain the option of leaving the employment or service. Forcing all citizens to get inoculated is different, as there’s no opting out.
I don’t think it’ll happen. The political resistance is too strong, public anger would be great, and President Biden clearly favors voluntary vaccination.
So it’s really an academic question, and quite naturally it’s an academic who’s coming forward to make the argument for mandatory vaccination. Specifically, a Princeton professor. (Read his essay here.)
His argument goes like this. “It’s not enough” to make vaccines readily available and encourage people to get them. Our leaders need to “think about the good of the collective and not just the rights of the individual.” Ouch. Seeing where this inevitably will go, he immediately adds, “Doing so is not some sort of move toward socialism.” (I agree; socialism is an economic system, getting vaccinated is not. But you know how people knee-jerk and use labels and … ) “The United States has a long history of requiring citizens to participate in programs that help all of us.” Social Security. The interstate highway system. Military conscription. (Nobody could miss that one.) “Collective obligations,” he intones, “have always been part of what actually makes America great and we need to start talking about vaccines through this vital lens.” Because, he says, “If we want to restore normality on a long-term basis, restore our economy, create opportunity for everyone and live in a society where we and our loved ones are safe, healthy and happy, much more of the population needs to be vaccinated.” Okay, that’s probably true. But …
Is it really true that, “Requiring vaccination must be at the heart of our public health agenda”? I’m not so sure. I mean, if stupid people want to commit suicide, why should we stop them? Is that actually an obligation, or just another of those feel-good liberal ideas? If the dumbest among us die off, doesn’t that make the surviving population smarter on average? And, more to the point, wouldn’t a hands-off policy shrink the Republican voting base? (I’m not in favor of that, you understand; it’s their choice.)
I’m vaccinated, and while the vaccines aren’t 100% effective, I can give myself extra layers of protection by wearing a mask in public, and staying the hell away from high-risk venues like Trump and QAnon rallies, fundie churches, gun shops, and pretty much everywhere in Idaho and Arkansas. And if I get it anyway, I have very low odds of being hospitalized or dying from it. So why should I make myself a party to forcing other people to do something they don’t want to do and don’t believe in?
I’ll be satisfied with making them pay their medical bills themselves. I see no reason why, if they refuse to protect themselves, my taxes or insurance premiums should pay for their intensive care and rehabilitation (if they survive). Now that is socialism.
While the Federal government may tell those who work for it to get inoculated it simply may not have the power even to do this. It very well could do this in US territories, but is not likely too as it takes only one of those ornery Federal judges to shut down the mandatory program. States though maybe able to make covid vaccination mandatory. We can probably guess the 12 states that might do this, and 36 that won’t. There are of course those darned ten amendments and state constitutions that generally give their citizens more rights. Also state legislators would probably have to pass actual laws and they may like being in office.
While an argument can be made we live in a oligarchy we live in one where the governments power is limited. It simply maybe the government has not this power, or the threat from Covid is not great enough to justify mandatory vaccination.
Mandatory vaccination could also hve the conundrum that US citizens must be vaccinated but illegal aliens do not and may come on in the nation. Rather like we citizens are trespassing if we enter our nations capital or statehouse, but illegal aliens are not trespassing whilw on US soil.
That is false. Mandatory vaccination has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The case is Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11, 25 S.Ct. 305, 49 L.Ed. 643 (1905). Federal judges must follow it. State courts can’t override it. The current Supreme Court could, but overturning precedent is always an uphill battle. The Jacobson opinion did say mandatory health regulations have to be reasonable, which might provide an out for some individuals. That said, however, making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory is off the table because of the politics surrounding the issue, and we’re gonna have to let vaccine resisters get sick and die.