Many people are risking their careers by refusing to obey COVID vaccine mandates. For this, they’re being mocked, shunned and vilified (the Prime Minister of New Zealand is even bragging about how she’s used vaccine documents to create a two-tiered society that relegates the unvaccinated to second-class citizen status.)

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2021/10/25/new-zealand-pm-n2597952

So why are so many people saying no? Are they really all just ignorant, anti-science rubes, as some in the media or the Administration depict them? If so, how does that square with the fact that people with Ph.D.’s are among the most vaccine hesitant, or with all the health care workers who are refusing the jab (PR tip: if you want people to take something, don’t call it “the JAB.”)

The Epoch Times did something that few if any media outlets have done: they actually asked health care professionals why they are risking their careers to defy vaccine mandates.The full article is for paid subscribers only, but here’s the gist of what they said:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/health-care-workers-speak-out-on-why-they-would-rather-lose-their-jobs-than-take-a-covid-19-vaccine_4065164.html

Some are pro-life and have religious objections to the use of fetal cells in developing the vaccines. Others said they’ve personally seen many serious negative reactions and don’t believe they’re being honestly reported. One registered nurse in Oncology/Hematology says they’re seeing an increase in hospitalizations and referrals for clotting and bleeding disorders. Some say they don’t want to risk vaccine side effects to avoid a disease with a 99% survival rate for those not in high risk categories, and for which we now have safe alternative treatments.

Some said the vaccines are “leaky” and that the majority of COVID patients they’re seeing are vaccinated. They don’t believe the vaccines are working and think they’re fueling the creation of new variants. One said this vaccine technology has never been deployed successfully and there’s no data on the longterm effects. They say the vaccines are still undergoing their first year of study, and their safety and effectiveness aren’t yet proven. They’re in touch with other health care workers and say they aren’t seeing the “surges” that the public is being told are happening. Some health care workers say they already have natural immunity from COVID exposure.

And finally, as the aforementioned registered nurse put it, “This is America! I have every right to make an educated decision regarding my health care. No matter what you are told, what I do has no direct effect on you.”

There’s more at the link for subscribers, but that’s the reasoning, from the mouths of health care workers. Please note that I’m vaccinated myself, and I’m not endorsing their views. You can disagree with them, say their concerns are unfounded or overblown, or argue that the risks of the disease outweigh those of the vaccines. But please stop saying that everyone who resists vaccine mandates is ignorant of science and medicine, because this shows that a lot of highly-trained health care professionals obviously beg to differ.