Refusing the vaccine – Ask the Rabbi
Q. Does a Jew have a religious right to reject the Covid-19 vaccine?
A. If they decide not to be vaccinated it could endanger both himself and other people.
Rabbi Yaakov Emden said, “Once the doctor recognises a definite need to administer a tested treatment, a patient, even if he objects, must submit under all circumstances. The matter does not depend on the consent of the patient since he is not free to destroy himself” (Mor U’k’tzia to Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayyim 328).
Note that the rabbi says, “Once the doctor recognises a definite need”. This excludes being swayed by rumours and unscientific opinions.
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