An Army reservist is being tried for refusing to be
inoculated with the anthrax vaccine. Citing religious
and medical reasons, Pvt. Kamila Iwanowska faces a
court-martial for refusing to obey a lawful order.
Military prosecutors charge that Pvt. Iwanowska
disobeyed orders when she refused to get an anthrax shot
at Fort Drum along with the rest of her unit prior to
their deployment to the Middle East in January. But
Iwanowska, who is a Roman Catholic, maintains a belief
that the shot poses dangers to children she might have
in the future and may violate the respect her faith
accords to the unborn. The Pentagon says the vaccination
is safe, with medical complications occurring in one in
every 100,000 vaccinations.
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MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"