Gus talks about his conversation yesterday with Fr. Tad Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and he reads the organization's statement on COVID-19 vaccine mandates. They continue to insist that vaccinations should always be on a voluntary basis and that nobody should be forced to be vaccinated against their will. Gus invites listeners to call in and talk about the vaccine, mandates and individual discernment.
Also, Gus talks about something we're hearing a lot about these days, comorbidity, which is the presence of two or more diseases or conditions in a medical patient. It's become present a lot in COVID patients and are often a contributing factor to the virus impairing people further and can result in their death. Gus asks people to call in and talk about any lifestyle they changed as a result of the pandemic.
You have never said (as far as I know) why you and Michele won’t get vaccinated. I’m curious as to why not.
Gus: I certainly do not agree with Nancy’s position that you are not entitled to medical treatment due to the fact that you chose not to be vaccinated. Thank God that you and your wife are on the road to recovery. However I wonder if you have considered the possibility that, due to your decision not to be vaccinated, you may have inadvertently transmitted this terribly contagious variant to someone who actually chose to be vaccinated. Perhaps that person was asymptomatic, and therefore inadvertently transmitted this terrible virus to their young child, who cannot yet be vaccinated. There could be a child in an ICU somewhere in Tampa as a direct result of your decision not to be vaccinated. Given the current medical advice this is not an unrealistic scenario. Individuals who claim a right to refuse to be vaccinated ignore the fact that such a decision has serious health ramifications not only for their loved ones but for everyone they come in contact with. Even Pope Francis has stated that getting vaccinated against this virus is the Christ-like thing to do. I wonder what your thoughts are on this. Prayers for the continued recovery of you and your wife.
Wow, this is shocking. I can not believe this discussion! I agree with you Gus and that this spiritual disease has clearly infected fellow Catholics and Christians and is beyond sad. Let’s all pray for people who think and feel this way and hope that they really reflect on why they feel this way, because this is not from God, clearly. One more point, the majority of the world population is not vaccinated, simply because they do not have access to vaccines like we do in the U.S.A. Does this mean they don’t deserve care? This line of thinking does not make any sense on any level. Thank you and God Bless!
Dear Nancy,
Thank you for listening, and for following online. I’m honored. I want to address your message and before I do, I want to give you a warning. Please don’t take my remarks as uncharitable. I speak to you from the heart, but with full clarity and transparency.
First, when did I ever intimate that my life is more valuable than yours? I never said it, never thought it, never intimated it. Quite honestly, I’m offended by that comment. For you to attribute those words or even that sentiment to me is calumnious. Shame on you.
Second, do you actually hear yourself? Do you realize the ramifications of what you’re saying? Let me ask you, if you had a son or daughter or grandchild who fell ill with COVID but was unvaccinated, would you want them to be refused medical care? Or is it just the big bad boogeyman on the radio? And if you would refuse care to a family member (or anyone else, for that matter), then your heart is cold as ice. I understand you’re coming from a place of woundedness, but you need to give this serious consideration.
Finally, as a Christian (I assume you profess to be one), is this what your Jesus would approve of? Would your Jesus want the unvaccinated to die a miserable death when the means are available to treat and heal them? Because if that is the case, that is not the Jesus that I want any part of.
Prayers for you and your family.
Gus
Glad you are feeling better Gus.
I would like you to consider something you may not have thought about. I live at the beach and when we are asked to evacuate we are told that no one is coming to rescue us if we have made the decision to stay. This of course it’s not because anyone is judging our decision but rather it is unfair to ask others to risk their lives to save ours. Similarly, no one should expect medical care is owed to them after they’ve made the decision not to be vaccinated. This of course is because with hospitals spread thin, treating the unvaccinated means denying care to others. There isn’t unlimited medical care. I am on a waitlist for medically necessary procedures. I think the unvaccinated should be waitlisted not the other way around. Take responsibility for your decisions. Why do you think your life is more valuable than mine?