I try and not get into anything political or things outside of growing, but alas.
I think that Americans have an extremely skewed perception of things like vaccines because of the inherit corruption and greed of big pharmaceutical companies. Is there a conspiracy to push vaccines for profit? I don’t know, but I do know for a fact that vaccines work with their intended effects in that you are subjected to an altered version of the thing you are being vaccinated against so that your body can create a natural resistance to it should you get infected for real.
Outside of the US where the healthcare system isnt so broken (or as broken) vaccines are not viewed as some grand conspiracy to inject you with microchips or to rake in profits, although given the nature of pharma companies im sure they jack up prices so they can. This is true for literally every drug created that does not have a generic alternative.
The lie about ‘vaccines causing autism’ is just that, a lie. There is ZERO evidence to prove as much, the disgraced physician who wrote the paper has been discredited by every single credible medical professional, and even had his license to practice revoked because of it. He has the blood of thousands of people on his hands for the misinformation he has and continues to perpetuate.
Regardless of this debunked conspiracy theory, even IF it was true (WHICH IT IS NOT) I would rather an autistic son/daughter than a dead one. Vaccines saves lives, period.
Now, that’s not to say they are 100% safe or 100% effective, as with literally everything in nature, you may have an allergic reaction to some ingredients used to store/preserve the vaccine. This kind of thing you should speak to your doctor about, not the internet.
The argument about ‘pro choice’ vs ‘mandatory vaccination’ imo I can go both ways, but lean more towards mandatory (if you want to participate in public systems like school for example). Vaccines are there to create a herd immunity, not just to protect you, but to protect others who cant be vaccinated, or have a lowered immune system due to things like cancer or autoimmune diseases.
I dont think anyone should be forced to do anything, and forcing people will just push them more into conspiratorial thinking, but it’s important to understand what vaccines are, how they work, and what the real dangers are, not what some random person on the internet says they are to drum up fear.
With Covid, I wont be the first in line to have the vaccine, but I will absolutely have it eventually. I think its fair to be sceptical about it considering there is an urgency to develop one, they could fast-track approve a vaccine that works, but has horrible side effects in the long run (think thalidomide)
TL;DR PLEASE do your own research, speak to your doctor or other medical professionals. Don’t get your information from random websites or youtube videos.