"It's my body, my choice. And I should be able to do whatever I like with my body. Therefore, I shouldn't have to wear face masks."
It doesn't matter what the debate is about whether it is abortion, face coverings, vaccinations, etc the above is a very weak argument that can be taken to the absurd. For example, if we grant that everyone should be able to do whatever they like with their bodies then we would have to accept that a suicidal terrorist should be able to blow themselves up whenever and wherever they like. If this sounds absurd that is because it is but it's the flawed argument above that leads to this madness. And to be logically consistent with the above you would need to accept this absurd conclusion.
Do note that at this stage I am making no cases with respect to being either for or against anything; my only contention is with that argument which IMO is a blatant conflating of liberty with license. Now, if we just focus on the abortion topic there are stronger arguments such as "A woman's right to bodily autonomy should take precedence over that of a fetus or a cluster of cells," which is a darn lot more solid than the argument at the beginning of this thread. I am looking at this as if I was a judge. If you came to me with the first argument I would most likely dismiss the case as being ridiculous. On the other hand, if you come to me with the latter argument then you have my attention.
Moreover, we now have protesters shouting about bodily autonomy rights as a defense to not wear face coverings or take the vaccination. This is the argument at the beginning of the thread where absurdity is actually being seen in action. One in three people spread covid before they develop any symptoms if any. If no one wears face coverings, then people get infected, then there is exponential growth, then there are hospitals overwhelmed, then there are a lack of medical supplies, then there are excess deaths not just from Covid but from other serious illness as well, then there are lockdowns, then there are economic crises which will take decades to recover from, and so forth. Bodily autonomy is a liberty to make choices about what one does with one's body free from coercion and force, but it is and should not be a license to make decisions that will become or prolong a public health concern. I think it would do us well to remember this when we're also thinking about other rights such as free speech, privacy, guns, etc.
On another note, with more and more people getting vaccinate we probably won't have to wear masks much longer anyway.
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