Covid-19 vaccine mandates return to ‘deep red’ state: Texas
“The implementation of vaccine mandates at one of the largest institutions in the red state of Texas has raised concerns about the state’s diminishing health freedom, while a law that would provide Texans with a choice of vaccines continues stalled by lawmakers,” the Epoch Times reported.
“Last week, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), a leading medical school and research center based in Houston, Texas, made an announcement,” the report added. “They stated their intention to require the latest COVID booster shot for all students, faculty and staff.”
“An updated Covid vaccine has been approved by the FDA and is now available,” the school’s Sept. 28 statement said. “A single dose is recommended for people 6 months of age and older. Because protection from previous vaccination wears off over time and this updated vaccine is better suited to the strains currently circulating, the updated dose is recommended. Baylor faculty, staff and students must receive the COVID vaccine or request a medical, religious or personal exemption by November 30.”
“Due to concern about the number of cases, some entities have reinstated mask mandates. BCM does not have a mask mandate, but if you are at high risk, you may consider making a personal choice to wear a mask in closed indoor areas “, adds the statement.
As of 2022, BCM reported a workforce of 11,288 employees. The institution is located within the Texas Medical Center, known as the largest medical center in the world.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has publicly stated that his state “should lead the fight against COVID tyranny.”
However, major publicly funded institutions still retain the authority to enforce vaccine mandates.
In September, Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 29, which prohibits local governments from enforcing COVID-19-related mask mandates, vaccine mandates or business closures. However, a different law, known as the “Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Freedom Act,” which aims to prevent any Texas entity, including hospitals and private companies, from mandating vaccines against the COVID to its employees, it has yet to make significant progress.
Texas state representative Brian Harrison, a proponent of a statewide ban on vaccine mandates, has urged Gov. Abbott to call a special session of the legislature to safeguard patients’ rights.
“This is Texas. We should not tolerate this here,” Rep. Harrison said. “The governor should demand that we pass the Covid Vaccine Freedom Act in a special session. This makes no sense if people are not protected. The Senate has passed it, the governor has asked for it, and members of the House overwhelmingly supports it. Now we have to do it.”
Despite widespread support for the bill, it has encountered obstacles on its way to the legislative floor. Rep. Dustin Burrows, the Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives who oversees the Calendar Committee, has blocked its progress, as Mr. Harrison.
“The president waited until the last day a bill could be heard and then put it on page nine or 10 knowing that mathematically there would be no chance of the bill being heard in time “, said Mr. Harrison.
“If it weren’t for his act, 30 million Texans would be free of the COVID vaccine mandates, and because of his actions, Texans still have to choose between their health and their livelihood,” he added. .
Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, a Texas-based practitioner and founder of the Coalition of Health Freedom, told The Epoch Times that the resurgence of the mandates, especially in the traditionally conservative state of Texas, has taken many people by surprise.
“Too many people have fallen into this mindset that COVID is behind us and we don’t have to worry about mandates anymore,” said Dr. Bowden. “Well, the COVID mandates are alive and well in Texas and this could be just the beginning.”
“Texas is not as red as a lot of people would think,” he added.
The inability of the US Congress and state legislatures to address the assault on civil liberties that took place during the Covid pandemic has led to a state of affairs where public and private institutions feel justified in imposing “mandates” that violate Americans’ personal health decisions. .
Vaccines against Covid-19 do not stop the spread of the virus; therefore, there is not even a “public health” justification for imposing them. Vaccines also have known side effects, such as myocarditis, which predominantly affect young people, who also have the lowest risk of Covid.
But the differentiation of risk factors is a question that must be assessed by personal doctors, who subsequently make recommendations to patients; it is not an authority to be usurped by public health bureaucrats issuing mandates that violate personal health decisions. And compounding this moral breach, it is not legally feasible to sue vaccine companies for adverse effects due to “liability shields” and the state has immunity on top of that.
This is not only a violation of individual rights, but an undermining of democratic accountability. America has not learned the lesson of the Covid pandemic. Many of the ethical issues raised by the response to the pandemic remain unresolved.
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