The morality of opposition to vaccination: A stupid topic or not?

One of the key propaganda points that arose and got absorbed into mainstream MAGA's dark free speech arsenal was provable lies about vaccines. As far as I can tell, the modern trend of pathological lying[1] about vaccines started in 1998. That year a study about the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella or German measles) claimed that the vaccine caused autism. The study was later retracked due to a flawed research protocol and outright fraud, i.e., the study result was an intentional, knowing lie. The alleged autism link has been debunked many times by reliable research results, but millions of American adults, about 24% according to one poll, still don't believe it. 

By contrast to the knowing liars, people who continue to believe a pathological lie even when presented with compelling evidence the lie is false are considered to be self-deceived. The basis for the persistence of self-deceit is grounded in cognitive biology and social behavior. Unconscious biases or unpleasant mental reactions such as confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, belief perseverance, and selective perception bias (the tendency of people to perceive what they expect or want to perceive) play a role. 

Self-deception involves rationalizing or justifying one's actions or beliefs, while ignoring evidence that contradicts those beliefs. They tend to reject, minimize or dismiss the effects of their behavior on both themselves and others.

Despite irrefutable contrary evidence, the pathological lie and self-deceit about autism and other alleged toxicities of vaccines persist to this day. Lies about COVID vaccines are now important in the MAGA wealth and power movement's constant attacks on, and rejection of, truth about vaccines. On multiple occasions, DJT has proposed blocking federal funding for US schools that require vaccines for school attendance, e.g., as reported here. It is not clear if he refers only to COVID vaccines or all mandatory childhood vaccines. If his choice of the anti-vaccine crackpot RFK Jr is a clear signal, he means all mandatory childhood vaccines.

The moral issue

Some questions:

1. Since morals are subjective and personal, is it irrational, or counterproductive even if it is rational, to bring morality into the issue of vaccines or even public health? If not morality, should there be any limit or regulation, e.g., the law or anything else? Is the concept of a "moral stance" meaningless because morals are subjective?

2. If it is reasonable to bring morality into the politics of vaccines, what is the moral stance of (i) the pathological liars, and (ii) the self-deceived? 

Some thoughts:

• If morality is too subjective to be rationally brought into this, the topic is arguably just an academic curiosity with little or no relevance to politics in a democracy, maybe also in an authoritarian regime. 

• It is a fact that pathological liars about vaccines have caused some deceived people to not get vaccinated. Some of those people got sick themselves and some passed their infection to others. Then, they or others died or suffered long-term harm. Therefore one can argue that pathological liars are immoral or evil, if evil is defined as behavior that certainly or reasonably foreseeably could cause avoidable death or harm to others. Others include family members who grieve or are otherwise harmed when a unvaccinated person gets sick and dies or is seriously incapacitated by the infection.

• Self-deceived people who refuse vaccinations have become infected and died or suffered serious harm, and some have infected others who died or suffered serious harm. Arguably they are at least immoral. They arguably are evil if evil is defined as personal behavior that certainly or reasonably foreseeably could cause avoidable death or harm to others. 

This topic seems timely to at least be aware of in view of the impending ascension to power of a crackpot anti-vaccine president and RFK Jr, who is an anti-vaccine crackpot designated to be the head of America's Health and Human Services agency. In the past, he questioned the safety and efficacy of the polio vaccine. But since his nomination, RFK Jr has soft-pedaled his anti-vaccine criticisms to make himself look less crackpot. He is a shameless liar and deceiver just like DJT. 

FWIW, IMHO, DJT and RFK Jr are evil, not merely immoral. 

Footnote:

1. Pathological lying is the term used to describe a persistent lie that cannot be quashed with empirical evidence. The lie simply persists because some or many people falsely believe the lie is truth, e.g., the 2020 election was stolen. Pathological lies are characterized by habitual or compulsive lying, often for no clear or apparent reason, even when the truth would be beneficial to the liar.