Rep. Sheila Lyman’s guest column (“Seeking information and drawing our own conclusions is freedom,” May 2) is chock full of the most sophomoric thinking and absurd rationalizations imaginable. It is hard to believe that her notions could pass for informed thought.

As I am sure she knows, children need to demonstrate proof of inoculations (a vaccine passport?) to attend school. It’s been the rule for an extremely long time and has never gone “. . .  well beyond the goal of getting people vaccinated . . .” except to the extent the goal is to protect all children, not just those vaccinated.

Remember polio, anyone?

And, why the continuing pseudo-concern about this vaccine? In the U.S. alone, around 250 million doses have been administered with an infinitesimal, I repeat, an infinitesimal number of adverse reactions. The COVID vaccines became available quickly, not in a vacuum, not due to a lack of proper and thorough trials, but because of ongoing vaccine research. They were rigorously tested and continue to be so. Claiming these vaccines are somehow suspect is absurd.

Lastly, the notion that the individual gets to decide on their own “safety” or else it’s an infringement of freedom and liberty is ridiculous. Beyond conflating the trivial with true freedom and real rights, this idea is contradicted by our everyday actions. If she’s so wedded to this notion, why is she not equally as passionate about doing away with virtually all laws? Don’t they, too, infringe on one’s supposed right to do whatever they choose?

Rep. Lyman is correct on one thing, when she says that many Mainers have already paid a heavy price due to the pandemic. But let’s not prolong or intensify that pain by listening to her advice going forward.

Scott Roberts, Livermore Falls

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