MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – Legislation protecting our right to make personal medical decisions and freedom to worship is on its way to the Governor’s desk after the State Senate today gave the bills final approval.
State Sen. André Jacque (R-De Pere), author of the measures, said citizens have a fundamental right to expect that their Constitutionally-protected freedoms will be respected by officials at all levels of government.
“These two initiatives help prevent government officials from using Covid-19 as an excuse to grab power at
the expense of our liberties,” Sen. Jacque said. “A successful virus response requires communication and
trust, not heavy-handed big government mandates.”
Respect for vaccination decision-making (Assembly Bill 23/Senate Bill 4, passed by voice vote) Sen. Jacque introduced this legislation to ensure Public Health Officers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) cannot require vaccination or require a person to show proof of vaccination for Covid-19.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll showed that over 60% of Americans polled did not believe their state should require that people get vaccinated before returning to work or school, much less forcing the general public. It has also been shown by European Union-funded research that countries where vaccination is mandatory do not usually reach better coverage than neighbor or similar countries where there is no legal obligation.
“I am not anti-vaccine; in fact, I was concerned by the Evers administration’s poor rollout of the Covid vaccine early on,” Sen. Jacque said. “But at the same time, we can’t allow health care to become coercive and force people to receive a shot- especially when individual health conditions and religious or ethical concerns exist.”
As far as Freedom of Worship (Assembly Bill 24/Senate Bill 7, passed by voice vote), Jacque says while facilities like liquor stores and abortion clinics were previously allowed to operate by public health departments as “essential businesses,” churches and other places of worship were harassed and shut down. This bill will protect people’s right to freely assemble and worship.
Sen. Jacque said he hoped Gov. Evers would quickly sign the bills into law. No word on that decision from the Governor’s office.
