Date of Award
2022
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Jennifer Riggan
Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between anti-vaccine discourse and ideas about bodily autonomy. I analyze the cyclical nature of vaccine hesitancy and show that it can lead to misinformation and harmful narratives. This paper uses theories of bodily autonomy that identify a concept called moral obligation. This concept, as explored by Alberto Giubilini, is a utilitarian approach in which citizens have a responsibility to their governments to get vaccinated so that, in turn, their governments can fulfill their obligation of protecting other individuals’ health (Giubilini 2020, 54). A discourse analysis of four key players in the anti-vax movement shows that these individuals gained prestige and/or profits from their anti-vax rhetoric. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, bodily autonomy is mobilized in a way that frames concerns surrounding vaccines instead as concerns about the body and autonomy. These concerns stem from a long-winded history of mistrust in the government, as well as inflated tales of vaccine disability, and have thus been twisted to support a political agenda in derailing vaccination efforts rather than actual body concerns.
Recommended Citation
Sherman, Haley, "Bodily Autonomy and Anti-Vaccine Discourse During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (2022). Capstone Showcase. 4.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2022/is/4
Included in
International and Area Studies Commons, Political Science Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Public Health Commons
Bodily Autonomy and Anti-Vaccine Discourse During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This paper explores the relationship between anti-vaccine discourse and ideas about bodily autonomy. I analyze the cyclical nature of vaccine hesitancy and show that it can lead to misinformation and harmful narratives. This paper uses theories of bodily autonomy that identify a concept called moral obligation. This concept, as explored by Alberto Giubilini, is a utilitarian approach in which citizens have a responsibility to their governments to get vaccinated so that, in turn, their governments can fulfill their obligation of protecting other individuals’ health (Giubilini 2020, 54). A discourse analysis of four key players in the anti-vax movement shows that these individuals gained prestige and/or profits from their anti-vax rhetoric. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, bodily autonomy is mobilized in a way that frames concerns surrounding vaccines instead as concerns about the body and autonomy. These concerns stem from a long-winded history of mistrust in the government, as well as inflated tales of vaccine disability, and have thus been twisted to support a political agenda in derailing vaccination efforts rather than actual body concerns.