ACTION ALERT!! New Jersey S2173 12/16 Signing to Remove Religious Vaccine Exemption
Update: The Bill was set aside until January - families showed up in droves, protesting, chanting, and exercising their rights as Americans.
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Act Now to Protect Religious Exemptions in New Jersey
New Jersey Residents: Click HERE before 1:00pm 12/16
The NJ legislature has moved like lightning to pass a law that will ELIMINATE the religious exemption for ALL children in daycare and ALL students in public and private schools starting in June 2020. To preserve your rights, email and tweet—and then send a video message. New Jersey Residents: Click HERE before 1:00pm 12/16
By Kathleen Hayes McCarthy
Trenton, NJ -- New Jerseyans were busy cleaning turkey pots and shopping for holiday gifts when their Senators quietly slated Bill S2173 for the voting docket on December 12. This bill is the companion bill to A3818, which was introduced by Assemblyman Herb Conaway in April, 2019 to the Assembly Health Committee as a restriction on the religious exemption. It passed out of that committee, and then the restriction language was stripped to completely remove the religious exemption during the full Assembly floor vote. It then was voted on and passed by the full Assembly.
With not much time to prepare, New Jersey vaccine and consent rights groups such as NJ Hope from Holly, Innovative Parenting NJ, New Jersey Coalition for Vaccine Choice, The Real Crunchy Mommas, First Freedoms, and Children’s Health Defense joined their voices to oppose this bill. These groups aligned and asked their members to call and email all Senators, especially those on the Health Committee, and also asked their members to meet at the Trenton state Capital building in a boots-to-ground effort to educate legislators and squash the bill.
A few days prior to the Health Committee vote, the language of the Senate bill was made available online for the interested public to read. There has been and continues to be total media silence that a civil and religious right is being removed from New Jersey citizens. Interested parties who were tracking the bill discovered that it was on the docket themselves.
For over 50 years, the religious exemption in New Jersey has required a parent or guardian to write a letter explaining how vaccinating their child(ren) went against their religious beliefs and interfered with their relationship with God. This letter was then required to be privately submitted to primary and secondary schools. This system worked, proving that public health measures and religious liberty can co-exist in NJ.
This new bill S2173/A3818 completely removes the religious exemption from New Jersey law. No longer can the faithful believe in God’s power to protect them. No longer can the faithful rely on their God-given immune system to fight the everyday battles it was designed to do. No longer will a person of faith be able to choose whether to partake in substances being injected into his/her body. There is no more choice and no more consent for the faithful in New Jersey who want to attend public or private school.
Law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant prior to piercing the skin to acquire blood samples from suspected criminals, yet, if these bills pass, law-abiding New Jersey citizens will be forced to pierce the skin of their children in opposition to their religious beliefs to inject into their bodies substances that the government requires to attend school.
The preamble to the New Jersey State Constitution asserts that “We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”
This preamble contains very strong language securing civil and religious liberties for New Jersey citizens, and requires the duty to pass the same to future generations “unimpaired.” These words are an umbrella covering all that is contained in the Constitution. This document, and these words, is a guiding principle for legislators creating law in New Jersey. Removing the religious exemption certainly impairs religious liberty.
On December 12th, the Senate Health Committee met to vote on S2173. People in the thousands showed up in Trenton to demonstrate opposition to the bill. Intelligence provided by vaccine rights groups showed that seven of the ten seated members of the Committee did not support the bill. There were rumors that Senate President Steve Sweeneywanted to change the membership of the Committee to change the outcome of the vote. The voting public and bill detractors struggled to believe that something so corrupt would occur; however, on the morning of the critical vote, Senator Sweeney did indeed swap three of the Senators who were confirmed as No votes with three Senators who professed to vote Yes. Sweeney even swapped himself in as a Yes vote, effectively changing a 7-3 vote to retain the religious exemption to a 6-4 vote to remove it. With that simple and corrupt act – flouting our legislative process and voting honesty – Senator Sweeney’s manipulations stole religious rights from 9,000,000 New Jerseyans.
On Monday, December 16th, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate and the full Assembly. Unless enough Democratic Assembly and Senate members reject these bills for the incredibly sleazy way in which they were passed out of Committee, the bills are expected to pass both houses. The voting is split along party lines - Democrats seeking to strip religious liberty and Republicans seeking to maintain it - and the Democrats want this bill to pass. It will then be on Governor Murphy’s desk for signing.
When the ink from Governor Murphy’s pen hits the paper, New Jerseyans will lose a right that for over 50 years has been recognized as God-given and inalienable. Unless enough Democrats reject the corrupt way these bills made it to a floor vote, this will be a very dark day in the history of New Jersey.
Kathleen Hayes McCarthy
Born and raised in New Jersey, Kathleen grew up in Belmar. This legislation, however, may cause her to leave the state. Kathleen has a BA in English from Drew University, and an MBA in Marketing/Communications from Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. She is passionate about health, human rights, and the environment. A businesswoman and mother, Kathleen adores her two children. She is on the Advisory Board of First Freedoms, a non-profit organization.
First Freedoms is a 501.c.3 non profit formed to address the right to freedom of health choice, religious freedom and other freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. First Freedoms is formed to protect, defend and create awareness of Civil Rights laws (both State and Federal) and other applicable laws and standards; to provide information to individuals concerning their rights as well as information concerning environmental factors that may impact not only acute but also chronic disease in individuals, both in the United States and globally. www.firstfreedoms.org
The long term goal is to have the flu shot vaccine status, tied to the New Jersey drivers license database.
Adults someday could have their license plate scanned, be pulled over as they know electronically you are not up to date on your vaccines, be given a ticket for an invalid driver's license and be told your car can be towed or you can go immediately to an ER for a $200 flu shot.
The ER doctor would then reactivate you drivers license.
Posted by: go Trump | December 17, 2019 at 07:54 PM
Now lets get back to California and sort Senator PAN out once and for ALL
We can do this !
The HighWire on Twitter (click to see stats)
Found 16 minutes ago (read/view on twitter.com)
“BREAKING: Massive Public Pushback Sinks #NewJersey's Attack Upon Religious Exemptions For Vaccines #ICAN https://t.co/dsQYviSsI3” [
Posted by: White Rose | December 17, 2019 at 07:59 AM
From the NYT
“They can cheer all they want. We’re not walking away from it,” Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney said about the jubilant roar in the chamber after the Senate adjourned without voting on the bill. He added, “It’s just remarkable how people are looking at this and not trusting the science on it at all. They’re trusting the internet.”
They don’t get it: the internet is just the medium just as the printing press was the medium 500 years ago. And they are caught with their trousers down.
Posted by: John Stone | December 17, 2019 at 07:56 AM
@ White Rose
Update on NJ Senate vote to remove religious exemptions .. it was postponed …. apparently it would have been defeated had it proceeded as scheduled. This WAS a major victory even though it is not over yet … the mere fact they had to delay it was evidence those protesting prevailed.
Posted by: Bob Moffit | December 17, 2019 at 07:23 AM
Does anyone know what has happened ?
Found 3 hours ago (read/view on www.facebook.com)
New Jersey Forced Vaccine Bill Pulled from Vote Folks, a small but HUGE and victory for our side. The New Jersey bill that would have removed religious...
Posted by: White Rose | December 17, 2019 at 06:17 AM
David L -I repear the words of the great Thomas Jefferson
"We must heed the words of one of America’s greatest statesmen, Thomas Jefferson: The executive power in our government is not the only, perhaps not even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. Experience has shown, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large..."
Well done New Jersey parents and supporters, but please don't be complacent and continue to campaign for health freedom of choice.
In the UK Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians-or should I say EX -Politicians have just learned the hard way what happens when they attempt to subvert the democratic will of the people, but the 'sour grapes' in the aftermath of the election plainly show they have not understood the lesson.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | December 17, 2019 at 02:07 AM
The state Senate abandoned an effort Monday night to pass a controversial bill that would eliminate a rule that allowed 14,000 school children in New Jersey to skip their vaccines because of their family’s religious beliefs, the measure’s sponsor told NJ Advance Media. State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, said he was one vote short to pass the bill (A3818), which would only allow children with verified medical conditions to be exempt from vaccine laws. “We are not going to vote on it,” Vitale said. Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester announced a brief recess and joined Senate Democrats in a private caucus meeting, without commenting on the status of the bill. A top legislative source who was not authorized to speak to the press told NJ Advance Media they were still holding out hope they could whip the last vote before adjourning for the night. "We have yet to give up,” the source said.
The state Legislature has the opportunity to revive the bill in January, before the two-year session ends Jan. 13. If it doesn’t pass by then, the legislative hearing process would have to start over. The uncertainty capped a raucous day at the Statehouse in Trenton, where hundreds of parents staged an hours-long protest, chanting, “Kill the Bill!” https://www.nj.com/education/2019/12/senate-calls-off-vote-to-eliminate-religion-as-reason-to-skip-child-vaccines-sponsor-says.html
We must heed the words of one of America’s greatest statesmen, Thomas Jefferson: The executive power in our government is not the only, perhaps not even the principal, object of my solicitude. The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared, and will continue to be so for many years to come. Experience has shown, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large...
Posted by: David L | December 16, 2019 at 08:28 PM
Saw video of the chanting outside-they made the taxpayers stand outside in the cold! and hiding Senate proceedings from recorded view!
Maybe the chant should be corruption, corruption, corruption.
Posted by: greyone | December 16, 2019 at 03:41 PM
45 voted to mandate to the hilt; joining draconian laws like Mississippi and West Virginia needing a board of health review from the state level. 24 voted no.
New Jersey; home of the most ridiculous numbers of kids with autism. First I heard in 98 on the Today Show was Brick Township and how the CDC shows up going to look into it only to tuck their tails and run away and hide and lie.
It is a mad, mad, world.
And then we have 16 year old Greta being exploited by the adults in her life, as if an Asperger child needs to but put on very public podium about some issue like Climate Change. Making her more anxious that carbon as well in the middle of a political firestorm. She thinks carbon is going to do us all in; in 11 years; when it is autism that is going to do us all in in 11 years. Ohhh the Irony of a mad, mad world.
Posted by: Benedetta | December 16, 2019 at 02:48 PM
In addition to Josh Coleman’s “V is for Vaccine” campaign, we need a “W is for Whore” campaign, designating a sign for each legislative whore who has sold our children and our rights to Pharma for their personal gain.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | December 16, 2019 at 08:59 AM
'A few days prior to the Health Committee vote, the language of the Senate bill was made available online for the interested public to read. There has been and continues to be total media silence that a civil and religious right is being removed from New Jersey citizens. Interested parties who were tracking the bill discovered that it was on the docket themselves.'
Once again .. the press exercised their greatest power .. their power to IGNORE any issue or subject the press does not want the public to be fully informed of …
The removal of the long standing "religious exemption" to vaccines deserved the highest .. visible.. widespread … TRANSPARANCY … BECAUSE PEOPLE DESERVE THE RIGHT TO BE INFORMED BY THE PRESS … WHEN SUCH AN OPEN ASSAULT ON THEIR BASIC FREEDOM OF RELIGION OCCURS UNDER THE CLOAK AND DARKNESS OF POLITICAL CHICANARY...…
Shame on New Jersey's MEDIA/PRESS .. they are as much to blame for this outrageous assault on religious freedom as are those legislators and governor who committed the assault.
Posted by: Bob Moffit | December 16, 2019 at 07:42 AM
I am a lifelong Democrat who once lived in Fleminglton NJ. I cannot for the life of me understand how Democrats don’t see this as a terrible slippery slope.
When someone decides we should inject birth control or inject fertility drugs into women “for the greater good” or to help the economy or whatever, they will have a difficult time fighting these fascist rules. It is appalling and it is terrifying.
Posted by: Carolyn Couglin | December 15, 2019 at 08:36 PM