Nursing student says she'll abandon her career if Covid jabs become mandatory - but insists she's not an anti-vaxxer and is just 'pro-choice'
A nursing student who insists she is not an anti-vaxxer says she will refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine even if it means quitting her job.
The Queensland woman, who has been studying for two years to become a midwife, claims her decision to not get the vaccine was made because she is 'pro-choice.'
'I am NOT anti-vax,' she wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday.
'My children are vaccinated, I received the mandatory vaccinations prior to commencing my degree (and Covid-19 was not listed as one of them).
'I am pro-choice. I believe that we, as human beings, should have the right to choose what enters our body.'
Her refusal comes as the federal government attempts to ramp up its vaccine rollout and make it mandatory for aged care and quarantine workers to be vaccinated.
Health chiefs have continuously explained that unless the vaccination rate picks up, particularly among those working with vulnerable Australians, continued lockdowns and border closures may be unavoidable.
A nursing student who insists she is not an anti-vaxxer says she will refuse to get the Covid-19 vaccine even if it means quitting her job
The woman, who has been studying for two years to become a midwife, claims her decision to not get the vaccine was made because she is 'pro-choice'
The wannabe-midwife said she was about to begin her placement at a hospital when she was informed she would only be allowed to proceed if she was fully-vaccinated.
'Unless I agree to the vaccination, the last two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears, will become irrelevant,' she wrote.
'I have pushed myself through being a single parent for the most part of my degree, I have buried loved ones through my degree, I have attended classes through a miscarriage, I have developed health anxiety through my degree.'
'I have been covered in peoples bodily fluids more times than I can count, I have held crying women when they needed me to. Why? Because I have a deep yearning to become a midwife.'
The nursing student claims she is 'very rarely unwell' and follows a healthy lifestyle which includes a mix of meditation and an organic diet.
'I am pro choice,' she wrote. 'I believe that we should have the choice on whether or not we choose to provide informed consent to receive an injection.
'I don't believe that we deserve to be isolated and turned away from a degree that we have devoted our lives to.'
The midwife said she was willing to 'bow out gracefully' and stop pursuing her dream career if it meant not compromising on her values.
'This is not the world of body autonomy and informed consent that I signed up for,' she wrote.
'Midwifery is about empowerment, about politics and about letting our voices be heard.'
The National Boards, which represents the Australian health practitioners, released a statement in March saying that it encouraged health practitioners and students to get the vaccine.
The wannabe-midwife said she was about to begin her placement at a hospital when she was informed she would only be allowed to proceed if she was fully-vaccinated
The organisation stated the only exemption would be allowed if there was a valid medical excuse.
'This is consistent with the National Boards' expectations, as set out in the codes of conduct or their equivalent, that practitioners have a responsibility to participate in efforts to promote the health of communities and meet obligations with respect to disease prevention including vaccination, health screening and the reporting of notifiable diseases,' the organisation said.
Queensland Health states on its website all hospital and health service staff who are at a high risk of coming into contact with Covid-19 infected patients must be vaccinated with at least one dose.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and Queensland Health for comment.