A few weeks ago, New York City made an announcement that all people in four Brooklyn zip codes need to be vaccinated and those who are found not to be vaccinated will be fined up to $1,000.

These actions were made due to a recent measles outbreak in that  area. To combat this outbreak, city officials are banning those who do not have the necessary vaccinations from public spaces such as schools.

Over the past few weeks it has caused a large controversy in whether it’s ethical or not because of people’s religious beliefs. In the most recent update to the story, residents of the areas are suing government officials that this policy is infringing their religious practice.

The measles outbreak is largely targeting the Orthodox Jewish community because of their belief against vaccines. This is a dangerous belief because not only are they harming themselves, they are getting people around them sick as well.

This is a major issue that needs to be addressed and there needs to be a stop to all of the misinformation about vaccines. There are dozens of scientific studies proving that vaccines are safe and effective and that they do not cause autism. Everyone should get vaccinated regardless of  religious belief. The only reason someone should not get vaccinated is if there is a legitimate medical reason such as being allergic to something inside of the shot.  There is a point where your belief intersects with the public good and in this case, the public good outweighs the rights of the individual.