Template for MP Letter opposing vx mandates
For your inspo only
An oft forgotten or overlooked tool in a democracy is getting in touch with our Members of Parliament.
As we have seen so far on vaccine mandates there is a largely unilateral voice emerging from parliament. We believe this is because MPs are not aware that their constituents are critical about mandates. Since launching Families Against Mandates one week ago we have heard from people across New Zealand who are holding a complex array of beliefs but at the heart feely deeply uncomfortable with what vaccine mandates mean for our democracy.
We must let our MPs know that we feel this way. We must, with urgency, begin to voice the diverse range of reasons we oppose these mandates. A different view will not ever be represented if we don’t communicate directly with our representatives.
Here’s a template to use for a letter. It can be done in a few minutes if you use email!
This is an amalgamation of a few of the emails FAM core team have sent this week. We strongly advise using your own words for maximum impact.
TEMPLATE
Your Address
Date
Dear (Minister’s title and/or name)
Introduce who you are:
Eg:
I am Mother of 3 young children, 11, 9 and 7.5 and their ages. I am a Teacher. I have been teaching since I was a teenager, starting as a music and a dance Teacher. I have been teaching in High Schools since 2006, in and out of the classroom (and Playcentre) as I raised my young. I have hosted workshops where Teachers teach Teachers e.g. workshops around Nature Play, Emotional Regulation, Respectful Parenting. I have gathered community together for Wellness Festivals. I am passionate about Education. I am passionate about healthy relationships. I am passionate about Hauora / Health. I currently have a permanent full time teaching position that I adore. I feel grateful for the privilege of learning, creating and working alongside young people, and their families/caregivers. I am part of a supportive, kind caring Department. Our management is ethical, humane and professional. I love my job.
Tell them what you’d like them to do:
Eg:
I am writing to you, as my MP, to ask you to represent my opposition to these vaccine mandates and the vaccine passports. I also have questions about the vaccine mandates and would like you, where possible, to provide answers.
Why I oppose mandates:
(Feel free to use any of these segments, the ones that are relevant to you. Please don’t copy and paste though - it’s so powerful to write it in your words.)
Eg:
I am concerned that these vaccine mandates further marginalise New Zealand’s most vulnerable communities:
In September 2021, British mega-trade-union Unison called on the government to take urgent action to avoid the negative effects of ‘no jab no job’ policy on the healthcare sector. This long neglected and underfunded sector was already short-staffed and struggling when the government mandated vaccines for workers – and an exodus of staff ensued prompting Unison to state they government were ‘sleepwalkiing into a crisis’.
The UK care sector was already short staffed by 110,000 workers. The government’s own calculations suggested a further 70,000 staff could leave because of vaccine hesitancy. In a statement Unison said, “Mandatory vaccination has been a massive distraction from the core job of care. It has also diverted time and resources from employers and government when they should have been seeking to boost trust and confidence in the vaccine.”
With effective medical support or palliative care unable to be delivered because of a lack of staff, vulnerable citizens are at greater risk than if they were being cared for by unvaccinated staff.
No jab no job plunges many people into a place of financial insecurity. While those who support vaccination mandates might say this is a situation of their own making, their choice is only not to vaccinate. It’s the government’s mandate that chooses to risk food shortages, housing insecurity and reduced access to healthcare for children, disabled people being cared for by family members, and indigenous communities whose trust in the state is already low.
*I am concerned that our vaccine mandates leave no room for alternatives that can also make sure our vulnerable people are safe.
*New Zealand’s mandates are the strictest in the world. I am concerned our ambition for 90% vaccination is too high and unrealistic, forcing us into punitive measures:
For context:
Australia’s target is 70%
China’s target is 77.6%
Israel’s target is 80% (NB: they’re on their 3rd shot)
Spain’s target has shifted from 70% (which they reached) to 90% (of their total population including children under 12 years)
France’s target is 85%
USA’s target is 70%
Japan’s target is 80%
https://apnews.com/article/europe-africa-business-health-tokyo-c6162a0404469b50f5f7f4c7d144687f
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/27/national/japan-vaccination-rate-around-80/
Micronesia’s target is 100% (but not vaccinating under 18, pregnant, heart conditions)
https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/programs/pacificbeat/fsm-president-iv/13477078
Ireland’s target 90% of adults
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58522792
*Why are our vaccination targets so high? And why do they include children/adolescents?
*Other countries allow for weekly testing and antibody testing. Why have we not made this available to the non-vaccinated?
*I am concerned that vaccine mandates rest on unscientific presumptions about community protection:
The vaccine does not fully prevent people from catching Covid, or spreading Covid. For those of us who are vaccinated, it reduces our risk of catching it, and improves our chances of recovering quickly and fully. Although some studies have shown that the vaccines can reduce the risk of transmitting some of the variants of SARS-CoV-2, a recent study published in the journal Nature says otherwise.
In this, the first study of its kind looking at vaccine* protection and the Delta variant, researchers found that after receiving their second shot, people were less likely than an unvaccinated person to pass the virus on only for the first three months. After that, vaccinated and unvaccinated people are equally likely to pass the Delta variant on. Even during that first three months, ‘the protective effect is relatively small’.
The myth that vaccination reduces the risk of spread breeds false confidence and reduces the vaccinated person’s use of precautions such as social distancing and mask wearing. The reality is that a vaccinated person infected with Delta is almost twice as likely to pass on infection than someone infected with Alpha.. The vaccine’s ability to decrease transmission of Delta is negligible.
Widely reported statistics have UK at a vaccination rate of almost 70 per cent, yet since ‘freedom day’ where masks and social distancing were no longer required, transmission rates have rocketed to the point where another lockdown is being discussed.
Vaccines are beneficial to the individual. But the myth that they also protect the community is dangerous, as people will stop taking the precautions that actually protect our most vulnerable.
*I am concerned that the vaccine mandates will be ineffective for safety long term:
In a pre-Covid-era article in Nature, writer Liam Drew argues that while mandating vaccination might initially artificially bolster vaccine rates, in the long term gaining the trust of the public is a better strategy. He references WHO, that stated the number of people who ‘staunchly oppose vaccines’ worldwide is only about 2 per cent. If only 2 per cent of people were not vaccinated, for many diseases, eradication would still be possible. The problem is not those who are ‘opposed’ but those who are ‘hesitant’ – a much larger number of people who probably would vaccinate if their trust was gained through education and outreach.
In the long-term, mandates could work against vaccination programmes, because of the resulting loss of trust in the government and scientific institutions – especially where the mandates limit ability to work, access to healthcare, and access to benefits. Many in the scientific community now believe eradication of Covid isn’t possible, so society is in for the long-haul when it comes to vaccination. Mandates could actually reduce uptake later on.
*I am concerned that Vaccine mandates are proven to entrench anti-vaccine beliefs:
Many independent studies show that mandates increase vaccine hesitancy. They are therefore not evidence-based policy, which makes me feel they are being used as a punishment of sorts.
Examples of closing statements:
(Feel free to use one of these if they resonate - or replace with something you wish to say)
*Please respond to me with urgency, as the date for job loss for the non-vaccinated is fast approaching.
*Please tell me your position on these mandates and your response to my concerns above.
*Please tell me if you agree to represent the complex and diverse feelings your constituents have about mandates in parliament.
Yours Sincerely,
Elise Martin
(Address, email address and phone number)
