Texas Anti-Vaxxers Fear Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines More Than the Virus Itself

On Friday, just after Governor Greg Abbott declared a statewide emergency in response to the coronavirus, Sarah posted a worried plea on a local anti-vaccine Facebook group. She worried that the declaration gives the government the right to "force vaccinations" on unwilling Texans.

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But for anti-vaxxers, it's a question of individual liberty.

"It's our human right to be able to decide what is put into our bodies," said Jessica Davis, a mom of five in East Texas. "I will not sacrifice my family or my body so others can feel `safe' from a virus that is affecting so few people."

Winnike said the fear that men in masks will start knocking on doors and forcing people to get vaccinated is "an invention" of the anti-vaxxer movement. "It's part of their fear mongering," she said. "That's not how we do public health in the United States."

Texans for Vaccine Choice, the PAC, posted on Facebook Saturday that they're not against medical advancements, "as long as they are never, ever at the expense of informed consent, medical privacy, and vaccine choice."

Reached for comment, the PAC wrote, "It is also our position that the fast-track designation of the vaccine which began human trials today is cause for concern, as essential steps in the safety assessment process will not be undertaken before administering the vaccine to healthy individuals."

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PS The survivors of a crisis never had a problem with the hard choices made ...

'Sapere aude'