On religion, ethics, and swine flu vaccination

The Washington Post's "On Faith" section has been hosting an online discussion on H1N1 vaccination and whether there are valid ethical or religious arguments to refuse vaccination. The conversation, "The Swine Flu Vaccine: Option or Moral Duty?" includes contributions from clergy of various faiths, theologians, scholars, and others with backgrounds in religion or ethics. It's a very interesting set of perspectives from individuals not usually heard from in public discussions of vaccine ethics and policy.

So far, there's been little support for individuals refusing vaccines for religious reasons. Here's a sample, a post from David Wolpe, a well-known Los Angeles-area Rabbi, titled "Not to Vaccinate is a Sin":

"We do not raise children for ourselves alone, or for themselves alone. We raise them for the world. Educating a child is not so that she can live well, or not only so that she can live well. It is to enable her to make a genuine contribution to society.

When we refuse a child a vaccination we are violating the rationale for having children. We are unnecessarily endangering others. Not only is one's own child at risk. Vaccinations are a barrier against contagion. In unvaccinated populations everyone is at risk.

...Can there be a more urgent religious imperative than to prevent harm to one's own child, and to others?"