I am appalled by John Rustad’s pick for B.C. Conservatives health critic, Anna Kindy, a person who upholds vaccine refusal as a personal “choice,” completely divorcing that decision from its effect beyond the individual.
Of course, one always has the choice to refuse a vaccine, but that decision should be weighed against how it might affect others. Deciding against a shingles vaccine affects no one but the individual, who risks a painful shingles outbreak. However, refusing vaccination during a worldwide pandemic of a highly contagious virus is quite another matter.
The collective effort of British Columbians who chose to be vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic helped to protect not only themselves and their fellow citizens, they also helped to prevent the collapse of our health-care system.
Kindy’s stance of upholding individual “freedom” over the responsibility to protect both public health and our health-care system should have been an automatic disqualification for the job of health critic.
Freya Keddie
View Royal
