January 17, 2022

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Vaccinated or unvaccinated — no one deserves to die

by Zach Stafford

When a prominent California public official who was opposed to vaccine mandates died from Covid this month, some people cheered. Even a newspaper columnist argued that there is some value in mocking her death. But Zach Stafford, who fielded many questions about his uncle's vaccination status as he headed to his funeral, objects to the idea that some people deserve to die.

"When I sat masked at my uncle's funeral, I didn’t wish harm or death on anybody I saw unmasked or anybody I knew to be unvaccinated," Stafford writes. "Not even those who may be online spreading misinformation about the vaccine." Many of them, he says, are victims of misinformation that has gone unchecked.

Read Zach Stafford's full analysis in your Monday MSNBC Daily.

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This episode contains mentions of suicide. Anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress can contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.