To Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk,
I am writing this letter to you to address the issue of standing NRL
players down for not getting the flu shot. This is a response to the Covid-19
situation, that many Australians feel is going too far.
We understand that you are under a lot of pressure, and based on various different medical experts, have had to make decisions regarding our borders. It has been reported in various media outlets, that in tandem with advice from the Queensland government certain NRL players have been stood down, pending their acceptance of a flu shot, and other NRL players will not be allowed into the state. We understand that Queensland’s chief medical officer, a government official is directing these guidelines.
We understand that you are under a lot of pressure, and based on various different medical experts, have had to make decisions regarding our borders. It has been reported in various media outlets, that in tandem with advice from the Queensland government certain NRL players have been stood down, pending their acceptance of a flu shot, and other NRL players will not be allowed into the state. We understand that Queensland’s chief medical officer, a government official is directing these guidelines.
I am not opposed
to vaccines. We have vaccinated our children, gotten the flu shot regularly
ourselves, and have asked family to get whooping cough injections before
visiting our children when they were born. We have adhered to medical advice and
chosen to get these vaccinations over time.
We
understand that for the vast majority of people getting a flu shot is safe, and
won’t have any serious medical effects. But every medical intervention comes
with risk, and some people don’t know that they cannot have it, until after
they have had it and had ill effects. We understand you are making provisions
in your directions for people who can’t get it for medical reasons. But people
should have, and have had in this country for some time now, the right to
choose, and not have their job under threat for declining. People should be
allowed to make their own choices.
Is there any
evidence that NRL teams are nexuses of transferring viruses?
Is there any
evidence that the fittest, healthiest people in the world, professional
athletes are in the same risk categories as the ordinary Aussie, or risks of
spreading the virus if kept away from contact with the public?
If there is,
we would be interested to hear this communicated and expressed, so we can see
the reasoning for your decision.
As it
stands, we stand with NRL players, and AFL, and any other sport for that
matter, or indeed Australian, to make this choice on their own. We do not
support them being compelled to comply and ask that you grant them a right they
have long had: to make the decision for themselves whether or not they will
receive a vaccination.
We ask you
to reconsider this action. We understand you are under pressure, and know that
this time is hard for our leaders, just as it is for many others.
Please
consider this point: we just want people to have the right to choose, what is
put in their own bodies.
Blessings.
Signed