In light of a very real universal health threat, what of personal choice?
Vaccination and choice
The basic assertion that "my choice only affects me" is only true if you assume each individual outcome is completely separate of all others.
It isn't. This is a pandemic disease, not a personal injury. The spread - and mutation - of the virus is dependent on the transmissability between every single pair of individuals that interact. It cannot be treated as isolated incidents. Vaccinated people are less likely to suffer severe outcomes from infection, and are also less likely to either contract or spread the disease. Not immune, but significantly less likely. The cumulative effect across the population as a whole is what matters. The more people unvaccinated, the easier propogation paths for the disease, and the higher the risk of further mutations.
Certainly everyone should have a choice over whether or not to accept medical treatment. It's a basic human right. But with choice comes responsibility and consequence. One thing frequently overlooked is that freedom of choice is not freedom from consequence.
One can choose to drink and drive. The consequence is that society treats the driver as irresponsible and may end up chucking them in jail. The choice is there, but so is the consequential social response.
Similarly one can choose not to be vaccinated for your own reasons, with the consequence that society takes measures to reduce its exposure to the elevated comparative risk posed. Just like drink driving that choice remains, but so do the consequence of making it.
Both are perfectly valid socially responsible responses.
