Council of Europe decides that vaccines should not be mandatory and that non-vaccinated people should not be discriminated against
January 29, 2021
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – the international body of which the European Court of Human Rights is a part (not to be confused with the EU, and of which Great Britain is still a member) – has passed a resolution stating that vaccines should not be mandatory and that no one should be discriminated against for not being vaccinated. The text reads:
7.3 With regard to ensuring high vaccination coverage:
7.3.1 Ensure that citizens are informed that vaccination is NOT compulsory and that no one is pressured politically, socially or otherwise to get vaccinated if he or she does not want to;
7.3.2 Ensuring that no one is discriminated against for failing to be vaccinated, for potential health risks or for refusing to be vaccinated;
7.5.2 To use vaccination certificates only for the stated purpose, this is to monitor vaccine efficacy, potential side effects and adverse events;
While the rest of the resolution is, for the most part, a depressing reiteration of the Covid orthodoxy – “non-pharmaceutical interventions have helped slow the spread of the virus”; “After the holiday season, with its traditional indoor gatherings, infection rates are likely to be very high in most Member States”; “The vaccines this winter will undoubtedly not be enough to significantly reduce the number of infections… So an appearance of ‘normal life’ will not be able to resume until mid to late 2021 at the earliest”; “The Assembly urges Member States to take swift and effective action to counter misinformation, disinformation and hesitation in relation to Covid-19 vaccines” – is this clear statement on the long-standing principle that medical treatment should be voluntary news.
This is a welcome resolution, if it is going to carry sufficient weight. It was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly two days ago, on January 27, 2021.
Of course, no one should be forced to take this dubious mRNA shot if he or she doesn’t want to. It would be a massive invasion of civil liberties; and we’ve probably seen enough of them for a lifetime in the past year. People must be free to choose. That is one of the principles of Human Rights.