Vaccine passports are a trending topic right now. First off, vaccine passports are a way of proving that you have been vaccinated, whether it’s a piece of paper or a QR code you can scan on your phone. The question is, should they be required? Is that taking away our rights as a person to make decisions about what we put in our body? 

A lot of people believe that being required to get vaccinated is wrong. That it takes away our right to decide what we want to put in our body, or make medical decisions about ourselves. People use the fact that the vaccine doesn’t stop Covid-19 or prevent it, it just lessens the symptoms, but it’s not a complete stop to the virus, so why should they be forced to get something that might not even do its job? 

On the other hand, people believe that requiring the vaccine will help America get back to normal. Herd immunity is a way of getting America to 70% of the people vaccinated. Requiring vaccines is a way of getting America back to that state. Vaccine passports give people hope that the virus will be stopped to the point where we can go out in public and do normal things without the worry of getting sick. 

 As of right now, Kansas is not requiring vaccine passports, although businesses are allowed to refuse you service if you are not vaccinated if that is their preference. If businesses do not feel comfortable with you being inside their store without being vaccinated then that is their choice and they have the right to refuse you service. Although you do not have to tell them if you are vaccinated or show them proof, they are not violating HIPAA. Right now, there are 10 states that require the vaccine passports. These states use the digital credentials for their proof of vaccination.  20 states have banned vaccine passports. There are still 20 states that have not banned nor allowed vaccine passports.