Josh Bloom is director of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences
at the American Council on Science and Health. Much of the
ongoing controversy about requiring healthcare workers to be
vaccinated against influenza is being framed as a clash between
governmental or employer overreach and our personal right to
select a career. But, in reality, this matter has little to do
with individual rights—it's simply a matter of common sense,
requiring no more sacrifice of our freedoms than the dozens of
other ways in which we must conform in order to lead our lives
and pursue our careers. No one has the "right" to a job—it is a
privilege. A privilege that requires us to make certain
sacrifices and assume some risks during our careers.
Electricians, athletes, and those in the military all accept
certain risks. Those who care for the ill carry an additional
burden—the need to protect their patients. If this means getting
one vaccine each year, so be it. If these healthcare workers are
unwilling or unable to do so, then they