Sir, – Vaccination is getting good coverage in The Irish Times , with commendable pieces by Juliana Adelman (Science, December 10th) and Jennifer O’Connell (Opinion, December 12th), both referring back to smallpox vaccination in the late 19th century. Smallpox was the first vaccine and,as noted by Ms Adelman, was made compulsory in England and Wales in 1853, and in Ireland and Scotland in 1863.
Compulsory smallpox vaccination led to protests and riots in the UK and US, and did not increase vaccine uptake. George Bernard Shaw was a very vocal critic of vaccination. GBS and others were not so much against smallpox vaccination per se, but opposed to it being made mandatory, accompanied by fines or jail for vaccine dissenters. This infringed personal liberty.
I would be opposed to compulsory Covid-19 vaccination as mentioned by Ms Adelman.Whom or what groups might be compelled?
Compulsory vaccination would be unwise because: (a) it could possibly /probably be deemed unconstitutional in Ireland (b) it would represent an erosion of personal/parental freedom to make informed decisions on their own health (c)it would foster mistrust of Government for foisting a vaccine on people who do not want it and (d) it would probably be counterproductive. The lessons from the history of vaccination are clear: Education, yes: persuasion yes; but compulsion no. We are doing well with voluntary vaccination. – Yours, etc,
DENIS GILL (Retired professor of paediatrics, RCSI),
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.