Researcher: Covidpass raises ethical issues

on Monday Austria shuts down the whole country. Ten days for vaccinations, 20 for vaccinators, and in February the state imposes a “immunization obligation,” according to the advisor.

Similar trends are emerging across Europe at the moment. That is, liberties and rights look different for vaccinated and unvaccinated people, respectively. It is even more difficult for the unvaccinated.

Sweden decided The government recently about it Introducing the so-called covidpass For events with more than 100 participants. That is: if you want to participate in an event with more than 100 participants, you must be vaccinated. The letter has been well received by politicians, medical researchers, and leading writers, but the scientific evidence that such passports really affect the spread of infection is weak.

And that’s exactly why Mats Johansson, associate professor of medical ethics at Lund University and chair of the Skåne District Ethics Board, is suspicious.

– I have absolutely no opinion About these sessions, because I didn’t see the proper analysis and that’s where my criticism really lies. I know very little, because the debate about how various restrictions affect our fundamental freedoms and rights takes pleasure in its absence, not least in the media, he said.

Throughout the pandemic, he has been struck by the ease with which leading politicians, researchers, and writers have called for coercive measures to curb the spread of infection.

– As if there is one currency, which is the spread of infection, and therefore the number of deaths.

But he says, there Other costs as well. Because on the other scale there are very basic freedoms and rights. Such as the right to go to school, to meet and move freely in society, the right to bodily integrity, freedom of religion, etc.

– But about this, there was absolutely no discussion. Mats Johansson says I also worry about the polarization involved when people who choose not to vaccinate are declared, at least in the media, to be more or less stupid.

In philosophy and ethics there is sometimes talk of the inclined plane, a concept which here means that a restrictive measure can open up to other, even more restrictive measures. Why not also introduce the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination requirement for all children who go to nursery school, while we still do? An idea that the Stockholm liberals had previously shown interest in.

Speaking of the inclined plane One has to see if what is below is bad and if there is a risk that a particular action will lead to further decline. I’d usually be very careful to use this argument, but in these cases (during a pandemic) I actually think it’s justified. We’ve already seen examples of this in some countries, says Mats Johansson.

During the pandemic, people, politicians and the media have almost reflexively called for comprehensive measures against the spread of infection, he said.

Actions that have led to very large intrusions into our lives, but there has been almost no discussion of this at all.