This is an independent group called the 'Vaccine Control Group' selling ID cards stating they "must not be vaccinated."
Is the sale of these cards from legal standpoint, well, legal? Are businesses required to follow what these ID cards say?
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Sounds dubious. There are reasons why someone might not be vaccinated (known incompatibility with some of its contents, for example), but that's done by a doctor, and not by paying to some random web page.– PMFCommented Sep 5, 2021 at 18:44
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Yeah, its very dubious.– user40826Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 18:49
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Perhaps a more relevant question is: would showing such a card in an attempt to evade e.g. employer vaccination requirements be legal?– Paul JohnsonCommented Nov 11, 2021 at 10:47
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2 Answers
Businesses are not required to do what the card says, they are required to do what the card-holder says, to the extend that what the card holder says relates to giving or denying consent to be vaccinated. Since they don't vaccinate people who are unconscious, consent will always be directly obtained from the patient and the card has absolutely no effect. Also, control subjects are selected at random and the subject does not know what group they are in. Possession of such a card therefore has zero scientific effect.
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There are legitimate non-blind studies, in which members of a control group know their status. They are usually considered less valuable then single- or double-blind studies, but they can be legitimate. Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 21:46
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1Some employers and governments are requiring people to get vaccinated as a condition of employment. These requirements generally have medical exemptions. So I think the real question is about the relationship between vaccination requirements and these cards. Commented Nov 11, 2021 at 10:48
This as such is just an organization that tries to keep a control group of unvaccinated people, which, for scientific reasons, does make sense. If you donate them some money for it, your decision. But I see no hint that this card would have any legal impact. If you work in some place/profession that requires you to be vaccinated (e.g, as of now, medical personel in france), this card won't help you avoid it. And of course, in no way would it safe you from regular tests, if these are required in your country.
Edit after comments
It's indeed questionable whether in this case even the study or the concept of the study actually exists. Normally, the study subjects don't pay for the study, nor are they donating (except their time and body). The website may, strictly speaking, not doing something illegal, but it does sound like a rip-off.
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1Having a control group would make sense if it were part of a well-designed scientific study, with appropriate ethical oversight by an IRB or similar body. There is no indication that this group is associated with any such study. Moreover, in any medical study, there are usually criteria for when the safety and efficacy of the treatment is so clear that it is unethical to refuse it to the control group, and I think many would say that COVID vaccines have reached this point. Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 19:09
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Would it be considered a scam then?– user40826Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 19:10
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2Also, a reputable scientific study normally wouldn't incur costs to the participants, as this does (physical cards are only issued to "Associates" which costs money). It's pretty clear that it is a scam, trying to extract money from people that don't want to be vaccinated and who hope that an official-looking card will help them evade vaccination requirements. Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 19:12
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That's exactly what I was thinking @Nate Eldredge– user40826Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 19:19
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3I agree this doesn't necessarily answer the question of whether the project is illegal, except to the extent that calling it a "study" may be misleading and fraudulent. Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 19:49