Do Our Choices Have Consequences?

Chad Carswell is a U.S. Air Force veteran, who served during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).

North Carolina local, Chad Carswell, is a thirty-eight year old double-amputee. In the last four years, he has had six heart attacks and suffers from stage 4 kidney disease, which has left him with only 4% kidney function. Carswell undergoes dialysis three times a week. While dialysis is a beneficial process, it is not a solution to his health problems. Without a kidney transplant, Carswell will die. According to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “There are currently more than 100,000 candidates on waitlists for organ transplantation and a shortage of available organs — around half of people on waiting lists will not receive an organ within five years,” proving how long of a process it is for those who need a transplant. More than a hundred people have offered to donate a kidney to Carswell via direct donation. A GoFundMe has been created on his behalf and in a month he has received contributions amounting to $4,250. However, Carswell is unable to receive the readily available life saving medical attention he needs. Why? Because he’s unvaccinated.

Chad Carswell receiving dialysis at one of his four hour sessions.

Leilani Lutali has stage 5 kidney disease and refuses to get vaccinated as it goes beyond her religious beliefs.

DJ Ferguson is dealing with severe end stage heart failure and requires a heart transplant to live.


These people are running out of time and options. This is today's reality for unvaccinated people, even those who require basic medical treatment.


Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) articulates that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care…” and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) defines “adequate” as “… the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” These doctrines express that medical care should not be considered a luxury. Denying a person's medical care who is making an opinion for themself is unethical, immoral, and a human rights violation. Doctors swear the Hippocratic oath, which obliges them to serve patients to the best of their ability and treat them equally. The Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 1.1.2 states that “physicians may not decline a patient solely based on their infectious disease status,” meaning it is the doctor’s responsibility to heal patients, not judge them for their choices.


Medical professionals have spoken out on treating unvaccinated patients and have expressed utmost hesitance. Trish Zornio, a research methodologist, went as far as saying “we should deprioritize the eligible unvaccinated patients…” citing how “choices have consequences.” Would the same be said about a smoker who has lung cancer? What about a drunk driver who kills someone? It is important to embody an empathetic attitude when considering these hypothetical situations, because they are still human beings and someone’s family members. Due to the heavy social media presence in society, it is easy to fall into the trap of following our peers, whether that be stereotyping, finger-pointing, or ridiculing those who are unvaccinated. These actions further isolate us as a community by producing the Us vs. Them conflict Dozier (2003) proposed (4).


Nevertheless, it is critical to acknowledge the nuances of the pandemic – refusal to get vaccinated poses a threat to the health of others. How do we resolve this on-going issue? Composing a solution is a demanding task and requires unity and understanding. While there are people who do not want to get vaccinated, we need to address inequity in access to the vaccine and to stop the spread of misinformation. In lower income communities, there are people who are not able to afford or receive public transportation to a facility offering the vaccine as well as people who do not speak the primary language on registration sites. Furthermore, we should support non-profit organizations, such as GOTVax, which produces educational resources and vaccine assistance for minority communities, low-income populations, and immigrants.

My questions are: Do unvaccinated people deserve the same medical treatment as anyone else? Are the rights of unvaccinated people different from other individuals? Do their opinions mean they deserve to die? Does it violate a person’s human rights to deny them medical treatment based on their vaccination status? Is it ethical to deny individuals medical treatment due to their beliefs? Is it dehumanizing to say unvaccinated people deserve to die? Is it selfish for people to resent those who choose not to get vaccinated? Who is at fault for this situation?


Works Cited

Dozier, Rush. Why We Hate: Understanding, Curbing and Eliminating Hate in Ourselves and Our World. Contemporary, 2003.