False: COVID-19 vaccine mandates violate the Nuremberg Code.

By: Umme Kulsum
February 8 2022

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A claim on Facebook states "Nuremberg Article 6, Section 3: No government can mandate or force medical treatment without individual consent." This is inaccurate, and the Nuremberg code does not mention government mandates, or vaccines, at any point. The Nuremberg Code was established after World War II when Nazi medics carried out inhumane medical experiments on Jewish people and other persecuted groups. The code is a set of ten principles to protect human life, explicitly stating that all participants must voluntarily consent to medical trials. Given the historical context, it is not appropriate or accurate to compare the events referred to in the Nuremberg trials with COVID-19 vaccines. It's clear that the Nuremberg code does not apply to COVID-19 vaccines as they have been through multiple stages of testing and have been approved for emergency use. COVID-19 vaccines are proven to be safe and to be extremely effective in dramatically reducing hospitalizations and deaths caused by COVID-19. It is important to note that there is a difference between vaccine mandates and forced vaccines. A mandate suggests that an official has instructed people to perform an action, but it does not mean that individuals are obligated to do so by law. Individuals may be required to show proof of vaccination in some lines of employment, to travel, or to access particular events and establishments to ensure public safety. Again, this does not mean that the population has been forced to get vaccinated. There are currently no proposals for compulsory vaccination in the U.S. Health care workers and immigrants seeking permanent residency have been told to get fully vaccinated. However, the law allows exceptions for medical reasons. It's clear that this post does not represent the content or the meaning of the Nuremberg code accurately. COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and governments are not barred from mandating them. CORRECTION: This claim previously read, "No government can mandate or force a vaccine without consent, as noted in the Nuremberg Code." We have edited this claim for clarity but have not changed the judgment or conclusion. We also changed "COVID-19 vaccines are completely safe, and governments are not barred from mandating them" to "COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and governments are not barred from mandating them." The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.