Former Planned Parenthood president Dr. Leana Wen said Friday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that it was time to equate not getting vaccinated with drunk driving.
Wen said, “We keep talking about the unvaccinated in this one big category. We actually know there is a group, of course, who are really seriously anti-vax. They think there is some kind of government control happening. They’re the ones who are protesting. That’s actually the minority. We have a huge middle group, if you will, who really just need to be pushed over the edge. If they’re told that there is a vaccine requirement for their work, they [are] able to get over that edge. Or even if there s a testing requirement for work and they are told they have to get twice-weekly testing, or they could be vaccinated. They might see vaccination as the easy and convenient choice, so that pushes them over the edge.”
She added, “I think at some point we as a society need to look at what are our values? Maybe we need to start looking at not getting vaccinated as drunk driving. As in, you have the option if you want to be in private and be intoxicated or be unvaccinated, but if you want to be out in public and engaging with others, you don’t have a right to endanger other people’s health. I think it’s time for us to really say that vaccination, yes, is something that protects you, but it’s not just an individual choice because it’s something that very much affects other people around you, including because we know about breakthrough infections it also impacts the vaccinated. Especially if you have young children or immunocompromised family members, it very much impacts our health and well-being, too.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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