On Vaccination and Free Will

There are millions of people who’ve decided to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Perhaps they have pre-existing conditions that increase their chances of suffering complications from the virus. Maybe they’re in close contact with someone elderly. Or they could just be fed up, ready for the lockdowns to end.

Regardless of their reasoning, I respect the autonomy of my neighbors to make their own decisions—whether or not I agree with them. Free will is important, especially in matters of our personal health.

But what happens when you flip that coin… in other words, when someone declines not to inject themselves with a certain vaccine, or take a certain medication?

The past few months have given us the answer: ridicule, propaganda, and exclusion.

The online mob, the mainstream media, and even our politicians are quick to demonize those who aren’t falling in line. And that’s not just for us regular folks…Even rockstars and NFL athletes are becoming outcasts overnight for the crime of opposing forced vaccination.

Of course, it’s not “crazy” to agree with them. The government has a long history of misleading and abusing its citizens. We have every reason to take its suggestions (and medications) with a massive grain of salt.

Also, pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna have been granted special legal benefits by the government. They’re protected from being held accountable by customers in court, even if their product causes harm.

It’s not hard to see why that would give someone pause about signing up for a dose.

But sadly, in today’s culture, asking questions about medicine doesn’t make you curious or diligent. It makes you a conspiracy theorist and an outcast. That’s a big problem.

Part of the problem is that those in power think they know better than the average person. And a lot of average people happily believe them! You can watch the trails of propaganda trickle all the way down from the White House press room to your own Facebook feed.

You can also see it in the way we delegate our decision-making and personal responsibility to the government. It happens in our education system, our entitlements, and now, in our doctor’s offices. Thoughtful consideration is being replaced by talking points on protecting the “greater good.”

I wrote a few weeks ago that there will always be another variant. Sickness is nothing new and it’s not going anywhere. As a believer in Capitalism, I hope that new medical technologies will continue to help us live healthier, longer lives. Vaccination could very well be a part of that.

But you’ll never hear me try to force people into using certain products or technologies, much less get them injected into their bodies. That’s because as humans, we are all granted free will, including what we do with our own bodies. Laws that say otherwise directly violate our God-given rights, which are recognized in the Constitution.

French economist Frederic Bastiat wrote about this concept in his famous book, The Law.

“Life, faculties, production—in other words, individuality, liberty, property—this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it.”

Our rights to freedom and autonomy precede Covid. They precede any sitting politician. Our entire country, even.

But how can we talk to children about the importance of our liberties? (It’s not like they’re learning about this stuff in school…)

That question is what led me to write the first-ever Tuttle Twins book, which is based on Bastiat’s famed book. It’s called The Tuttle Twins Learn About the Law. Through engaging and kid-friendly storytelling, readers learn about the difference between just and unjust laws… and the importance of standing up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.

This is not an easy time to raise kids. It’s every bit of a battle for their minds: the radical left is working hard to reach kids everywhere from classrooms to cartoons. And that’s why our team is here: to give your kids a voice and help teach them to think for themselves in a world gone crazy.

So, instead of getting down and hopeless, let’s get to work. We’ve got the future to save.

—Connor