The discussion about #GaryGlitter is disturbing. There are many reasons why it’s very important he, and other prisoners, are vaccinated. But it is also simply their right; being in prison does not change that. To argue otherwise takes us down a very slippery and dangerous slope.

We’ve had similar from some before who asked whether it’s right that people in their 90s are prioritised. ‘They’ve lived their lives’, their argument went. As soon as an argument like that is used you have to ask: who decides this? Where will the line be drawn? Etc. Bottom line:

Just don’t go there. Because next around the corner you’ll find the eugenicists who’d love to take this discussion to the next level of “purification” in a heartbeat. Don’t inadvertently help them by going along with narratives about different levels of worth of human life.

And, as an aside, do note that many who jumped on this seem to be against vaccines generally, so their real motivation for pushing this story may well be something quite different ... /end