Raleigh, NC – Today Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford, Majority Whip) filed HB 98 – Medical Freedom Act – which prohibits state and local government from issuing COVID vaccine mandates.
The bill would prohibit any state and local government agency from issuing COVID vaccine requirements on private citizens and government employees. It would also prohibit government agencies from requiring proof of COVID vaccination records of any person. State and local government agencies or political subdivisions of the state will be unable to discriminate against a person’s refusal to provide proof of COVID vaccination or submit to a COVID vaccination when seeking employment.
In addition, the bill prohibits public schools from issuing a vaccine mandate on students, faculty or staff.
Representative Hardister stated:
I’ve received a lot of feedback from people who are concerned about COVID vaccine mandates. This will prevent government agencies from establishing any form of a COVID vaccine mandate. The COVID vaccines were produced in a rapid manner with an expedited approval process. It is not appropriate for the government to force people to take a vaccine that is novel with no long-term studies available. Part of the concern is the fact that new health reports are indicating that there may be side effects related to the COVID vaccines. This underscores the fact that it will take time to learn about potential long-term effects of the COVID vaccines, and as such, it is not appropriate for the government to issue mandates on our citizens.
Other vaccines, such as tetanus and polio, are long-standing with extensive health research in place. These vaccines are also clinically proven to be adept at preventing infections, and there is an extensive amount of peer-reviewed studies related to these vaccines dating back decades. The COVID vaccines, on the other hand, are very new, and we have not yet had the time to study the long-term effects of these vaccines.
In my opinion, taking a COVID vaccine should be a personal decision, not a mandate-driven activity.
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