GOP Bill In Idaho Makes mRNA-Based Vaccination A Crime

Two Republican lawmakers in Idaho have introduced a bill that would make it a misdemeanor for anyone in the state to administer mRNA-based vaccines—namely the lifesaving and remarkably safe COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Photo Insert: HB 154 proposes that "a person may not provide or administer a vaccine developed using messenger ribonucleic acid [mRNA] technology for use in an individual or any other mammal in this state."

If passed as written, it would also preemptively ban the use of countless other mRNA vaccines that are now in development, such as shots for RSV, a variety of cancers, HIV, flu, Nipah virus, and cystic fibrosis, among others, Elizabeth Mole reported for Ars Technica.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Tammy Nichols of Middleton and Rep. Judy Boyle of Midvale, both staunch conservatives who say they stand for freedom and the right to life.

But their bill, HB 154, proposes that "a person may not provide or administer a vaccine developed using messenger ribonucleic acid [mRNA] technology for use in an individual or any other mammal in this state."

If passed into law, anyone administering lifesaving mRNA-based vaccines would be guilty of a misdemeanor, which could result in jail time and/or a fine.

While presenting the bill to the House Health & Welfare Committee last week, Nichols said their stance stems from the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines were allowed under emergency use authorizations (EUAs) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), not the agency's full approval.

"We have issues that this was fast-tracked," she told fellow lawmakers. The EUAs for the two mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines were issued in December 2020, and the FDA granted full approval to both (Pfizer-BioNTech's in August 2021 and Moderna's in January 2022).

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