Could not find corroboration for letter writer’s assertions
I was very disturbed to read Dr. Seeds’ guest commentary (Catholic Virginian, Jan. 10), especially his statement that “The evidence for harm is evident with thousands of deaths in the U.S. within 72 hours of injection reported on the CDC’s own website and tens of thousands of adverse reactions.”
I went to the CDC website to see if I could corroborate Dr. Seeds’ assertion but could not find anything resembling the data he asserts. Rather, what I found on the CDC website were many statements similar to this one: “Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination.”
If, in fact, Dr. Seeds’ assertions are true, please tell me and your readership where they can be found on the CDC website. – Dr. James M. Cooper, Ph.D., Charlottesville
Don’t be ‘megaphone for disinformation’
I am dismayed by the platform provided for anti-vax untruths and distortions in the commentary by Dr. Seeds (Catholic Virginian, Jan. 10), alleging that vaccine mandates are coercion that “eliminates free will and destroys ethical consent.”
Every law and governmental regulation requires or forbids some course of conduct and thus is coercive: Laws against murder, robbery or abortion; long-standing vaccine requirements for school children, health care workers, military personnel and overseas travelers; licenses for hunting, fishing, driving a car, starting a business, gun ownership, liquor sales, marriage and the practice of medicine and law.
Pragmatic limitations on personal liberty do not threaten the innate metaphysical reality of free will. Indeed, all law presupposes the human capacity to obey or disobey.
Dr. Seeds further claims “thousands of deaths…. within 72 hours” after COVID-19 vaccinations. In this, he is giving credence to a long-refuted conspiracy theory. There is no government database supporting these assertions, which have been refuted by multiple health care and news organizations.
COVID-19 has killed 850,000 Americans, mostly unvaccinated, and we are living through a desperate public health emergency. Vaccines and masks are clearly the most effective preventive measures available.
As often pointed out by the Vatican and in The Catholic Virginian, love of neighbor requires taking these measures to protect the lives and health of others, even those of our polarized political opponents.
It is shocking to see The Catholic Virginian become a megaphone for disinformation — adding to public confusion, reinforcing vaccine uncertainty and possibly leading readers to fear the vaccine — with all the consequences that may ensue. – Marvin Wingfield, Lynchburg
Vaccines are safe, effective
Is the Catholic Virginian so hard up for stories that they resort to printing false and unsubstantiated articles such as ”Coercion destroys free will” (Jan. 10)?
The writer seems to confuse moral obligation with an ethical dilemma. As the Catholic faith continues to promote a pro-life value, it should be obvious that being vaccinated not only protects the recipient, but also everyone they come in contact with!
We are ethically required to care for each other and willingly accept other vaccinations such as mumps, measles, diphtheria, etc., yet fight being vaccinated against COVID, which has been proven to successfully prevent hospitalization or death from this disease. Although the writer makes many undocumented statements, the facts are clear that the vaccines are safe and effective.
He then does a mental leapfrog to state that aiding patients in pain is equivalent to assisted suicide. Perhaps he and your readers should consider that not getting vaccinated is a better example of assisted suicide since unvaccinated individuals spread the disease to those who have other complicating factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol issues, which will lead to their death if exposed.
I expect better from The Catholic Virginian, especially since the pope himself endorsed vaccines. – Ken Kimidy, Norfolk
Verify information before printing
I read the commentary by Dr. John Seeds (Catholic Virginian, Jan. 10). His main theme, I think, was coercion. This referred to the vaccination mandates for COVID-19. He states evidence that the vaccines are not as good as they should be.
He stated that there have been thousands of deaths and tens of thousands with adverse reactions.
I was at the U of Va. hospital when I read this. I asked several doctors and nurses if they have heard of this. They all said no. Shouldn’t something as serious as this be verified?
On the last page of the same issue, there is an article stating that the Pope Francis encourages everyone to wear a mask, especially at Mass.
We know that President Biden is a Catholic. Is he being coerced by the pope? We know that the pope encourages crazy policies like helping the poor and to halt global warming. The president also supports these things. Ethics? How do we measure ethics?
The information presented by Dr. Seeds is comparable to the NRA stating that guns save a million lives. Prove it. – Marie Flowers, Farmville