Forced COVID-19 Vaccine Ahead?
Last November, we sounded the alarm when we discovered the Virginia Board of Health’s plan to begin mandating health professionals to report to the government the names and extensive personal information of every person who was diagnosed with the common flu virus. The Board seemed to be hoping this change would just fly under the radar unnoticed, as it attempted to make this change by the “fast-track” rule making process of just 30 days. But parents and concerned citizens quickly responded and spoke up in a BIG way! After it received 589 comments during the comment period, the Board was forced to halt the process, which meant that the regulation couldn’t take immediate effect and would have to undergo greater review.
The regulation would’ve treated the common flu virus the same way as a diagnoses of severe pandemic illnesses like Anthrax or the Plague. While this may not be terribly disconcerting to some (especially in a post COVID-19 context), it raised some red flags for the mere fact that the Department was keeping this action very discreet, even misleading the public about its effect in its official Agency Background Document. (See our comment to the regulation pointing this out.)
Many people were outraged by this sudden intrusion, especially because of the amount of personal information that would be given to government officials over what is a very common illness. The Department's own 2018-19 Seasonal Influenza Surveillance Report states that "The CDC estimates that during the 2018-19 flu season in the US, 37.4 million – 42.9 million people got sick with the flu." Many of those people expressed concerns about potentially forced vaccinations, to which they had health or conscience objections.
Consider also, that during the General Assembly Session, there were several pieces of legislation dealing with vaccinations and immunizations that directly threatened the rights of parents. Senator Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) sponsored a radical bill (SB 104) that would’ve allowed minors who were at least 14 to consent to vaccinations without their parents consent – or even their knowledge! Thankfully, this assault on parental authority was met by a passionate group of concerned mothers and fathers that objected to the notion of the government determining what’s best for the health of their children, which resulted in Senator Favola striking her own bill.
And then there was HB 1090 (Hope, D – Arlington), which will now requires all vaccinations required for any child to attend either public or private school in Virginia to automatically align with the list provided by the unelected members of the state Board of Health, instead of our elected representatives in the General Assembly. Despite the outcry from parents and concerned citizens who showed up in large numbers at committee hearings and floor debates, the Democrat-led General Assembly was bound and determined to shove through this legislation, which will inevitably lead to more and more mandatory vaccinations from unaccountable bureaucrats.
Deciding to vaccinate one’s child is a deeply personal decision, and one that every parent has the right to make without coercion by the government. In this current COVID-19 pandemic, the debate over forced future immunizations by the government is growing and will only become more contentious as time moves on.
As the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has effectively restricted so many of our fundamental liberties, with fair questions about when or if we’ll get them back, and the massive expansion and consolidation of government power, the timing and nature of these regulatory and legislative initiatives do seem a little strange. But we draw no particular conclusions, except that these ideas were bad then and they’re bad now.
In the days ahead, we will continue to be every bit as vigilant as a watch dog for government overreach. To that end, The Family Foundation is rolling out our new grassroots initiative called SpeakUpVirginia, which aims to start a movement that allows us to speak louder together.
This will be a vital tool for us to join in one voice to protect our values of life, marriage, parental authority, religious liberty, and constitutionally limited government.
This is the time for Virginians to speak-up and let their voices be heard, or risk more of our cherished liberties being taken away. Stay tuned for more!
