Republican lawmakers push for vaccine refusal to be a civil rights issue | Corona Virus

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Republican state lawmakers across the US are pushing forward bills that would ban vaccine mandates in an effort to give denials of a Covid-19 vaccine the same kind of legal protections as those often related to issues of gender, religion and race.

Several Republican states introduce bills banning vaccine mandates within state offices, schools, and workplaces, although vaccine mandates are not uncommon among employers. It also comes as vaccine release in the US has slowed significantly, although the more contagious delta type is spreading quickly, especially among people who are not immunized.

“It’s kind of a solution looking for a problem,” said Lowell Pearson, managing partner at Husch Blackwell, a bill-tracking company. “We don’t really see any widespread sense that employers are ordering vaccines in the office, in places of manufacture and other places like that.”

Montana passed a bill in April that would prohibit employers from requiring vaccinations in order to obtain employment. Arizona has pending legislation that would make people exempt from receiving a vaccine if the immunization lacks full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). South Carolina has introduced a Senate bill that would prohibit employers from firing, demoting, and suspending non-vaccinated employees.

The legislative push goes hand in hand with the politicization of the vaccine effort by some Republicans, especially on its more extreme wing. While some Republicans urged people to get vaccinated, others sought to portray it as an overreach of government, often using highly provocative language. Radical Georgian Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green likened the vaccination efforts to Nazi Germany and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk likened them to apartheid.

A recent poll by Politico also found that while Democrats supported vaccine mandates and vaccine passports, Republicans opposed, “the government or most employers abuse their individual choice.” Another poll published by PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist in March showed that 41% of Republicans do not plan to vaccinate.

Many people refuse to receive the vaccination because they are concerned about long-term side effects and do not trust FDA approval. All three Covid-19 vaccines given in the United States have been authorized for emergency use.

These Republican bills are intended to protect people from being forced to take the vaccine for work or educational purposes.

Under the direction of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers have the right to request vaccination from their employees. However, outside the health sector, many choose not to.

A recent survey of 660 employers found that 72% “would not request or plan to request vaccination prior to entering the workplace”. They instead encourage communication about the value of vaccination, offer scheduling flexibility and consider on-site or near-site vaccination management for employees.

“We have a long history, in this country, of employers often not interfering in their employees’ health care decisions,” Pearson said. “I think he respects that tradition and history.”

Instead of vaccine mandates, employers pay incentives, giving bonuses to employees who are already vaccinated. This adds a bit of a bonus to getting the vaccine and avoids potential lawsuits against employers.

Kroger and Petco give money to employees who can prove they have been vaccinated. Target provides up to four hours of paid time off for employees to get their vaccinations and even pay for taxi rides to and from an appointment. Krispy Kreme gave away free cookies to people who showed their Covid-19 vaccination record card.

“I think most employers understand that there is some element in the individual choice of vaccination,” Pearson said.

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