letters

Letter: Never surrender rights and freedoms

It's actually coercion and discrimination

Never surrender rights and freedoms

I agree that “choices have consequences,” as Bruce Simmons explains in a recent letter. God has given us free will and we all have the right to make our own choices in life, and then enjoy or suffer the consequences, depending on what choices we’ve made. But according to Simmons’s twisted rationale, the inevitable consequences of not being vaccinated are that you will have “no civil rights.” Including “unfettered access to private businesses.” The truth is, God has also given us basic human rights, which no government can lawfully take away.

The dictionary says, “civil rights protect the individual’s freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations and private individuals. They ensure one’s entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of society and the state without discrimination or repression.”

So, Simmons’s statement that, “No one is being forced to get vaccinated and no one is having their civil rights curtailed,” is categorically false. He explains, “What is happening, is that people are being given choices.” But to choose between a medical injection that you don’t want, and losing your rights and freedoms (or your job), is not a choice at all. It’s actually coercion and discrimination. The “vaccine passport” will violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

And for further clarification, “private businesses” are known as “clubs” and their members must follow club rules or face the legal consequences. On the other hand, businesses that are open to the general public are obliged to adhere to Canadian law and should not discriminate against customers based on medical conditions, such as vaccination status, or they too should face the lawful consequences of their actions.

Bruce Simmons’s fallacious argument is typical of the vaccinated crowd, who believe their choice is the righteous one and therefore have no tolerance for anyone who would “hesitate” to make the same choice. But what they fail to understand is that by willingly surrendering their own God-given rights, they are tossing the rights of the unvaccinated out the window as well.

David Work

Duncan

Cowichan Valley Citizen