New Hampshire’s Medical Freedom Act has cleared its last hurdle. The House concurred with Senate changes by a vote of 198-162. It is on the way to the governor’s desk. What is it?
It prohibits public entities from requiring vaccination as a prerequisite to access. And what exactly is it he’d be signing, or not?
Related: When it Comes to “Experimental Treatments,” How About The ‘Right to NOT Be Made to Try.’
HB220 state’s that,
“I. Every person has the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization. Accordingly, no person may be compelled to receive an immunization for COVID-19 in order to secure, receive, or access any public facility, any public benefit, or any public service from the state of New Hampshire, or any political subdivision thereof, including but not limited to counties, cities, towns, precincts, water districts, school districts, school administrative units, or quasi-public entities.”
That sounds fabulous, but there are a lot of exceptions.
II. Paragraph I shall not:
(a) Limit the commissioner’s authority to order treatment pursuant to RSA 141-C:15 or RSA 141-C:18, nor to order quarantine pursuant to RSA 141-C:11 or RSA 141-C:18.
(b) Supersede the requirement for vaccination as a prerequisite for admission to a school or child care agency pursuant to RSA 141-C:20-a, II.
(c) Supersede the involuntary emergency admission process pursuant to RSA 135-C:27-33; the revocation of conditional discharge process under RSA 135-C:51; or involuntary treatment of patients compliant with RSA 135-C:57, III.
(d) Limit treatment authorized by a guardian over a person; or short term treatment of a personal safety emergency declared by a licensed physician or nurse practitioner in a psychiatric care setting, or authorized by a surrogate decision maker or durable power of attorney for health care delegated by the person while competent to make decisions for them during periods when they are not competent, pursuant to RSA 137-J.
(e) Apply to county nursing homes, the New Hampshire state hospital, or any other medical facility or provider operated by the state of New Hampshire or any political subdivision identified in paragraph I.
III. The department of corrections may mandate medical treatment or immunization for inmates when a direct threat exists as defined in 28 CFR section 36.208.
Schools, daycares, prisons, mental health facilities, or those authorized as a guardian are exempted from the prohibition. State’s counties and towns may not require vaccination for COVID19. Private operations are free to require them but appear to be stepping back from such mandates.
Related: Medical Freedom: The Issue of Our Time
It is imperfect, but it is a step in the right direction. A beginning that the net legislative session could massage as the psy-op known colloquially as the pandemic (the political response to COVID19) appears a bit more distant our the rearview mirror.
And I believe the Governor will sign it.