Debate on compulsory vaccination: “path of reason” or “dead horse”?

In general, for everyone over 50 or for nobody: there is a whole range of opinions in the Bundestag on the subject of compulsory corona vaccination. In the first debate, supporters and opponents argued sharply against each other.

The Bundestag has started deliberations on an extension of the corona vaccination obligation. In the first debate, the health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Heike Baehrens, advocated compulsory vaccination from the age of 18 and called on the Union parliamentary group in particular to join the proponents’ motion. “We have to fundamentally create the conditions to ensure that we are not overwhelmed by another wave of infections,” she said in the plenary session.

According to Baehrens, the cross-party move by a parliamentary group is supported by 237 MPs from four parliamentary groups. A high vaccination rate must be achieved by autumn. The more people are protected by vaccination, the faster one can return to a social life without restrictions. A general obligation to vaccinate is a “real way of prevention,” said Baehrens.

If Germany already had a vaccination rate of 90 percent, the number of infections would not be so high, explained the SPD politician. Germany now has the highest incidence in Europe. Addressed to the Union, Baehrens appealed: “Don’t wait any longer, go with us on the path of reason and precaution!”

Union wants vaccination for “acute situation”

The Union faction submitted the motion, which currently has the second largest support group. It stipulates that the prerequisites for the implementation of compulsory vaccination should be created, but that a decision on the introduction should only be made in an acute situation. Baehrens said the time had already come. Almost 300,000 new infections were reported to the Robert Koch Institute within 24 hours on Thursday.

The CDU MP Sepp Müller did not respond to Baehrens’ request, but campaigned for his own application. At the moment, compulsory vaccination is “dead,” said Müller. There is no majority for it in Parliament. The CDU politician Tino Sorge said that there is no guarantee that compulsory vaccination will help now because a possibly new variant of the coronavirus and the vaccines that are effective against it are not yet known.

Further applications from the FDP and AfD

In addition to these two initiatives, there is a draft by a group led by FDP MP Andrew Ullmann for an obligation to provide advice and then a possible obligation to vaccinate from the age of 50. His party colleague Manuel Höferlin opposed any obligation to vaccinate and thus supported the initiative by FDP party vice president Wolfgang Kubicki. Vaccination protects against serious illnesses or death. However, this does not result in an obligation. He pointed out that Austria had now suspended the vaccination requirement introduced there. Anyone who prefers to wear a mask instead of a vaccination has the right to decide so.

The AfD had also submitted an application. Group leader Alice Weidel called on the advocates of general vaccination to withdraw their proposals. “You are riding a dead horse, please dismount,” she said in the debate. The arguments for compulsory vaccination were weak from the start and have since collapsed like a house of cards. “There is no legitimate and constitutionally permissible justification for introducing compulsory vaccination against Covid-19.” This violates fundamental rights.

After the first consultation in Parliament, an expert hearing is to take place next Monday. The Bundestag is then expected to decide at the beginning of April without the usual parliamentary group specifications.