OPINION: It is your freedom to choose
Opinion
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Freedom Rally in Port Douglas.
It was on a very hot Saturday the 26th of February and there were probably 200 participants gathering under the shady trees of the Market Park and then walking along Macrossan Street. In case you haven’t heard about it I am not surprised.
In case you think a Freedom Rally is a political event with radical protesters of obscure motivation, I am not surprised either. But you are wrong.
What I saw was a group of very friendly and ordinary people, people who could be your neighbours and people whom you might know from social activities in the past.
They were young families with their children and they were older people who used to be my patients. What I saw were people who simply want to have a choice when it comes to vaccination.
The people I talked to did not make false claims either in favour or against a medical product, there was no misinformation.
Seemingly unnoticed, the community of the Douglas Shire has been divided into two groups. Your vaccination status now matters more than the ties that once connected you with your friends.
To me as a General Practitioner this seems at odds with everything I have learnt in my medical career and it is against my understanding of the Hippocratic Oath.
When I gave a speech - as part of a group called QHPA Queensland Health Practitioner Alliance - I felt nervous at first. But it also felt the right thing to do - standing up with integrity.
Vaccine mandates not only compromise our individual rights, it also damages our community on several levels:
- Small business owners are suffering
- Many people have lost their jobs
- Our social connectedness has been interrupted
- Healthcare has become difficult to access for many
- Many families have started to home school their children
I am sure this is not in the interest of anybody in this community who cares about the Douglas Shire and its people.
But don’t take my word for it, maybe you want to attend the next Freedom Rally in Cairns on Saturday 19th March at 11 am north of Muddy’s playground? I am sure you will see familiar faces. Or just start a mindful conversation with your neighbour.