Controversy continues to swirl around both mRNA vaccines and vaccine mandates.
State Republican lawmakers in the U.S. are starting to use their legislative authority to criminalize the use of mRNA technology for vaccination purposes, for humans and for animals.
The law, which has only been introduced in committee so far, would apply to the state of Idaho.
House Bill 154, introduced by State Senator Tammy Nichols and State Representative Judy Boyle—both Republicans—would make administering or providing mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, a misdemeanour crime in the state. The bill states:
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person may not provide or administer a vaccine developed using messenger ribonucleic acid technology for use in an individual or any other mammal in this state … A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.
In discussing the bill before the Health and Welfare Committee on February 22nd, Nichols expressed concern about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines—the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines are two of the most commonly used—including reports of serious secondary effects, such as blood clots and myocarditis. Apart from the vaccine’s unhealthy impact on the human body, Nichols defended her case in reference to the fast-track approval process, as Nichols said in the committee meeting:
We are seeing more and more concerns rising because of the mRNA vaccine … We have issues that this was fast-tracked, there’s no liability, there’s no access to data, a risk-benefit analysis has not been done, there’s no informed consent.
She added that other vaccines were available for COVID-19 for those wishing to be vaccinated and that mRNA vaccines should be treated like other medications found to be dangerous after receiving initial approval.
Some lawmakers in the EU parliament have also expressed concerns about the transparency of drugmakers in the development and promotion of the vaccines, as well as vaccination requirements imposed by governments. Pfizer executive Janine Small was questioned by the EU parliament last year, where she admitted that Pfizer had never tested the mRNA vaccine for effectiveness in stopping transmission.
MEP Rob Roos of the Netherlands then excoriated policies such as COVID passports that imposed restrictions based on the presumption that vaccination would stop transmission of the virus:
Many governments, including mine, actually introduced so-called COVID passports. These passports made access to some parts of society conditional; those who did not wish to get vaccinated lost that access, not being able to visit a restaurant or a gym, all in the name of public health.
The EU public prosecutor’s office—along with the New York Times—has initiated in an investigation into the EU’s procurement of COVID-19 vaccines. The EU Commission purchased 4.5 billion vaccine doses on behalf of member states, most of them from Pfizer, in a deal brokered in private exchanges conducted on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s cell phone.
