Dr. Alex Berezow and Dr. Ethan Siegel have the right idea when it comes to vaccines: If you can take them, but opt out, then you “should be opted out of American society.”

They explain their thinking in an essay for Scientific American:

There is no moral difference between a drunk driver and a willfully unvaccinated person. Both are selfishly, recklessly and knowingly putting the lives of everyone they encounter at risk. Their behavior endangers the health, safety and livelihood of the innocent bystanders who happen to have the misfortune of being in their path. … … No public or private school, workplace or other institution should allow a non-exempt, unvaccinated person through their doors. A basic concern for the health and safety of others is the price it costs to participate.

It’s one thing for that to work at a school, where they can request your paperwork in advance, but I don’t know how to apply this rule in places like swimming pools or grocery stores. How can we know if people are vaccinated beyond taking their word for it? While unvaccinated people shouldn’t be out in the public, it seems impossible to implement that restriction.

(via Boing Boing. Image via Shutterstock)

