Rabbi: Not to Vaccinate is a Sin

Q: Polls show a majority of Americans are concerned about the H1N1 virus (swine flu), but also about the safety and efficacy of the swine flu vaccine. Is it ethical to say no to this or any vaccine? Are there valid religious reasons to accept or decline a vaccine? Will you get a swine flu shot? Will your children?

We do not raise children for ourselves alone, or for themselves alone. We raise them for the world. Educating a child is not so that she can live well, or not only so that she can live well. It is to enable her to make a genuine contribution to society.

When we refuse a child a vaccination we are violating the rationale for having children. We are unnecessarily endangering others. Not only is one’s own child at risk. Vaccinations are a barrier against contagion. In unvaccinated populations everyone is at risk.
I am aware of the objections to vaccinations. Certain vaccines may prove ineffective or even dangerous. There is a risk attendant to any medical procedure, any drug or intervention. But as a class over the years vaccines have wiped out diseases that were scourges of humanity. Can there be a more urgent religious imperative than to prevent harm to one’s own child, and to others?

There may be questions on the margin. Specific vaccinations can be doubted, or specific ailments borne. The principle endures. I have gotten a flu shot each year and will get the swine flu shot this year. So will my family.

To vaccinate is a religious obligation. To refuse protection for a serious disease is a sin.

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